End Game
by dcworks1
Summary: A look at what happens after the events of ME3, some variations with the ending parts of ME3. Rated M just in case, includes adult themes and some language. My first fan fiction ever. MShepard/Ashley relationship. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys, I've been a long time reader of fiction, and felt that I should give it a try. I attempted to capture a darker version of what the Mass Effect universe was left in. I've rated it M just in case.

Keep in mind that it is my first fan fic ever, so I would appreciate any constructive feedback you have for me. I also apologize ahead of time in case it sucks (lol). So hopefully enjoy.

Disclaimer: I did not create and do not own the Mass Effect Universe. I in no way attempt to profit from it or claim it as my own. Bioware owns all rights to The Mass Effect universe and its direction.

* * *

It all had finally come down to this, a choice that had no clear outcome. Shepard stood next to the catalyst, thinking about everything that he had gone through in the past few moments. Shepard had said his goodbyes to everyone before the final charge, but did get a final moment with the woman he loved, Ashley Madeline Williams.

* * *

"Go! Get out of here now," Shepard declared to Ashley, who was wounded and held by Liara in the Normandy's docking bay. "With all due respect commander," Ashley seemed to beg a Shepard. Time the momentarily stopped for Shepard; he didn't want to leave, but knew what he had to do. "Ashley," Shepard struggled to vocalize his feelings to her, "no matter what happens… I will always love you." A tear rolled from Ashley's eye as she only managed to say, "I… love you to."

Shepard then left, but was immediately met with the bright painful blast of Harbinger's beam. He recalled reaching the citadel after defeating that Marauder left after all that chaos. "Shepard, you up here too," asked Anderson. Shepard remembered being recalled to life, as if called to his destiny. He remembered the entire conversation with The Illusive Man.

He had killed Anderson, something which had just suddenly emerged in his conscience. The man who had been the only parent Shepard had in his adult life. Shepard had lost his parents after the Batarian raid of Mindoir. Anderson was a symbol, reminding him of the lessons his parents

had always taught him. "I've killed him… and I never got to tell him everything he was to me," the guilt weighed heavily on him.

* * *

Now, everything he had believed was flipped upside down. He had talked to the catalyst, which told him of the purpose and origin of the reapers. Shepard had trouble believing the methods of the catalyst; it seemed insane and unbelievable. The catalyst was an AI that had gone insane, he was the first species counted on him to solve their war, but he decided that their deaths were the only solution to the issue.

Shepard looked at the option to destroy. It would stop The Reapers, but it would wipe out all synthetic life; He would had only saved The Geth and EDI to have them be taken away from this world. It was Genocide, even if they were of different mind and background. Shepard knew the lives within The Reapers needed to rest, but the cost.

Shepard looked at the panel that would offer control to him. It was the ultimate power that The Illusive Man wanted. However, Shepard knew no one, not even him, could handle that responsibility or power. Life would always live under the fear of The Reapers, plus he would ultimately become what he fought to prevent.

Shepard finally looked the beam of light in the middle of the Crucible. It was apparently the final stage of evolution; he would decide the fate of everyone in the galaxy. Everyone would become immortal and life would be a utopia, but Shepard couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew that there would never be such thing as peace, life would always evolve and conflict with one another, and that decision of everyone's future, ultimately made Shepard disagree with the catalyst.

"I know what I must do," Shepard said to himself. Shepard limped to the crossroads of the choices the presented to him. He stopped momentarily and faced the catalyst. "My entire life, I've always faced death and destruction; I've played by the rules of others, and lost many friends and loved ones." The Catalyst looked at Shepard and said, "Why tell me this? You must choose, you cannot resist on your own Shepard, you've collected the galaxy, but we decide everything!" Shepard responded, "You do, but now you've made a mistake, you've tried to influence me to abandon my goal, to end the threat of The Reapers." Shepard began to move down the path to his right, "And I will destroy you, no matter the cost."

The Catalyst's voice deepened and his form changed to that of the first species. He then yelled, "You foolish organic, rejecting these gifts that I give you!" "Why? Why reject the options of power I give to you?" Shepard continued to walk toward the tube. "Do you do this for the chance for species to decide its own fate? You will die!" The Catalyst appeared behind Shepard, "Is this for your friends on The Normandy? They will die!" Shepard stopped and raised his gun and fired a couple of shots into the tube. The Catalyst paused then stated, "This is for love, isn't it?" "You organics… these feelings are nothing more than chemical reactions in your minds..." said The Catalyst. Shepard fired another shot into the tube. "You think your connection to that crew, that man back down in the control room, that woman you said goodbye to is any reason to destroy us?" said The Catalyst in a mocking tone.

Shepard looked back at The Catalyst and simply said, "They are the reason I live, and the reason you will die, so they can live in peace!" Shepard began to fire rounds into the tube, and then was embraced by the heat of the explosion. He thought about the people that would be affected. Joker… he was always there, like Tali and Garrus, he had taken me to Ilos and The Collector Base, and saved Ashley from Harbinger, despite the threat. EDI… she would be gone, along with The Geth, and could never come back. He thought about her relationship with Joker, Joker had found the only slice of happiness he could from this war with her, but Shepard had taken that away from him, something he hoped that Joker could one day accept. He finally thought of Ashley. Ashley… she was everything to him; she had doubted him and followed him in this entire journey. He loved her, and wanted nothing more than to have a family with her and live the rest of his life out with her. Shepard hoped she could find love again, and move past his death.

Shepard finally blacked out, and felt the embrace of darkness.

A red light started to appear from The Crucible, Hackett saw this and ordered, "All Ships, disengage and go to the rendezvous point!" The frigates all began to leave towards the relay. Joker was approaching the Crucible to pick up Shepard from the Citadel.

Garrus approached from behind and put his hand on Joker's shoulder. He then stated, "Joker… it's too late… we can't save him." Joker stopped and began to silently cry, "Damn… damn it." He turned the ship away from The Crucible and headed towards The Relay. The blast of light emerged and took the reapers down. The Reapers began to fall all around the galaxy. Turians began to celebrate across the war torn mountains of Palaven. The Asari across of Thessia looked at the destroyed cities that once graced their planet. The Krogan saw the arriving Reaper forces fall into the deserts of Tuchunka. The entire galaxy finally won the war that had taken billions of lives. The Geth ships that were at earth began to fall as well. Quarian soldiers began to examine their fallen comrades. "What is wrong?" asked a Quarian soldier. Another said, "I don't know, but they appear to all be dead, just like The Reapers."

The Normandy was heading through the relay, and was finally hit by the beam. EDI's body suddenly fell in The Normandy. Joker yelled, "What's wrong with EDI? Somebody help her! I gotta put the ship down; it's too damaged from the crucible to remain in flight.

* * *

The ship finally entered the orbit of the nearest planet. Joker set it down in the nearest clearing. The crew was relatively unharmed, but EDI was taken down to her AI Core to be repaired. Joker, who was still in shock after EDI's collapse, left the ship to look at their location. Ashley soon followed; the two looked out at the vista of the jungle.

Joker finally said, "Now what?" Ashley responded, "I… I don't know, but we have to get back to Earth."


	2. Chapter 2

The entire crew of the Normandy had begun to repair The Normandy. It was predicated that the Normandy's damages could all be simply repaired, and the crew could leave this planet and return to Earth. News had come via the quantum communicator back to Earth. It was said that both The Citadel and Relays were badly damaged, but could ultimately be repaired. It was also said that the bodies of both David Anderson and The Illusive Man were found. Both had dies from a gunshot wound, they didn't how inflicted the shots on whom, but Shepard was nowhere to be found. However, most extrapolated he had died either in the charge to the beam or deeper into the citadel.

The Geth had been discovered to be un-repairable, as The Crucible managed to destroy all synthetic life within the galaxy, but most VI's and Cybernetic implants seemed to be fine. The crew also discovered that EDI was completely dead. Joker took the news extremely hard. He began to drink and mourned the loss of EDI. The crew decided that they would hold a funeral for EDI, Anderson, and Shepard at the memorial wall.

* * *

A few days after being stranded, the crew held the memorial for the loss. Joker had stopped drinking and sobered up to honor EDI's memory. Joker put EDI's name on the memorial wall, and then said a few words. "This war has taken my father, my sister, and now the woman I loved." Joker's words began to break, "The last few days I had with EDI, where some of the brightest spots in this dark world." "EDI would always brighten my day with jokes or questions, and I never fully appreciated either." Jeff finally cried, "I never got a chance to say goodbye, or how much I loved you!"

Joker stepped back into the line with the rest of the crew. Liara hugged joker, tears also streaming from her face. "It'll be okay Jeff… we could rebuild!" Liara said trying to comfort Joker. "No… we can't, her soul is finally at rest, with Legion's." The crew began to remember Legion, he was very curious, but also helped them to understand the plight of synthetic life. The crew felt as if a part of them had died when they learned The Geth and EDI were permanently gone.

Chakwas then stepped up and put Admiral David Anderson in the middle of the memorial. Chakwas then said a few words as well. "During my time on the original Normandy, I served under David, and he was a great man." "He gladly gave up his ship to Shepard to stop The Reapers, and now he has given up his life." Adams was also moved by the speech, recalling his tour with Anderson on the Normandy. "I hope you find peace David, you were a friend and a leader to the first of us," Chakwas said with a breaking voice as she stepped back into the line.

Finally, the moment nobody wanted to face. Ashley Williams, the new commanding officer of The Normandy, held the plate that said Commander Daniel Shepard. She couldn't believe it, he was gone, again, and no body had been found after combing The Citadel or Beam site. He had said numerous times that he had loved her, and always had. When leaving Earth, she knew he would live and they could be happy, together, but that couldn't happen.

Ashley finally summoned up enough strength to talk. "I…" that was all she could say. Tears poured out of her. She dropped the plate and fell to her knees. She then began to cry, "Why God! It wasn't supposed to happen like this." "He was supposed to come back, he was everything! I loved him!" Everyone then began to cry at this venting of pure emotions. They all had loved Shepard; he had guided them through so much. He had given Garrus guidance to lead, Tali a home world, Liara a chance to change the world, Wrex a future, and Ashley a person to love. Everybody comforted one another with the loss of their friend. Ashley finally mustered the strength to put Shepard's name up on the wall.

The crowd began to disperse back to work, still mourning the loss of their Captain. Ashley, Garrus, Liara, Tali, Joker, and Chakwas stayed and looked at the names. Garrus spoke, "Kaiden, Presley, Anderson… they were all there from the beginning." "They never got a chance to see the peace Shepard created, but at least Shepard can rest with them. Tali held Garrus's hand, obviously crying under her mask. The crew slowly dispersed one-by-one to their stations. Only Ashley was left at the wall.

She couldn't believe it, he was gone… forever. She could never see him, feel him, or kiss him… never again. Ashley had completely lost the will to go on again. She remembered what it was like after he died once. She lost everything Shepard made her feel in her life, determination and purpose. She had lost a lot of weight and muscle, becoming a sickly pale person. She couldn't eat anything or sleep more than a couple hours. She spent time reading Tennyson and Whitman from her books, but couldn't move on.

Her mother and sisters became increasingly worried about her condition and had her sent to a specialist for a short amount of time. The doctor had prescribed several drugs to her, none of which worked, and made her attend therapy sessions. Over time, she regained the will to go on in life and fight for Shepard's memory, but now, all of that was back.

She returned to her room and sat on the couch. She stared of into the sea of the planet, wondering about what the future may hold for everyone. She then glanced over at the pistol she had brought with her from the armory. She could end it all, right there. She slowly took the gun from the table and to her lap. She stared at the gun for 20 minutes, wondering about her family and friends. She couldn't leave them, but she had heard nothing about them, from Earth. They could all be dead too… just like Shepard. She slowly raised the gun to her head. She pointed it at her face, staring down the barrel of it, examining the machine that had taken so many lives from their enemies.

Ashley stood up and pointed the gun at her stomach, she couldn't face the gun and do it; it was too much for her to handle. She took several deep breaths.

1….

2…..

3…

*boom*

Ashley looked down; she had dropped the gun after firing, a series of blood droplets falling to the floor. She fell back into the couch, the life being drained out of her. Liara and Garrus both rushed into the room, worried about what they heard. Garrus exclaimed, "Oh shit! I'll get Chakwas, you help stop the bleeding. Liara tried to use a nearby pillow to apply pressure to the bleeding. Liara told Ashley, "Ashley, this wasn't the way to sol…" she was quickly interrupted by Ashley, "I don't care, I have lost everything: My home, my family, and Shepard." Chakwas rushed in with several others to move Ashley to the Med Bay.

Ashley was rushed into the room; she was put it an unconscious state and Chakwas prepped for surgery. They had more than enough medical supplies and blood to save Ashley, but the psychological damage was done to both her and the crew. The entire crew knew that they needed to get to Earth and find Shepard, dead or alive.


	3. Chapter 3

Shepard opened his eyes to a forest, brimming with; he felt completely refreshed a reborn. The place smelled of various flowers and trees. He saw birds chirping and flying around. He looked at his clothes, all of which were pure white and felt wonderful to Shepard's skin. He looked at the sky, filled with the rays of the sun and several puffy clouds.

Shepard got up and began to walk out of the forest, only to find a seeming infinite town of houses and people. There were countless species he had never seen before, plus many familiar ones. He saw a world of peace and love, something that he could only imagine.

Shepard, suddenly feeling a quick jolt of pain throughout his body, fell to the ground. This world began to fade from Shepard's view. He didn't know where he was or what had happened, but all that came was darkness and pain.

* * *

Suddenly, Shepard awoke and gasped for the air he so desperately needed. He was covered in rubble from The Citadel. Shepard was in a serious amount of pain, gasping for breath as he coughed up blood. He suddenly heard a voice, it wasn't one he recognized, but he cried for help. "Help!" Shepard yelled as blood shot from his mouth. The marine appeared next to him.

The marine frantically cried for help. "I've got Shepard here! He's alive, but he's badly wounded, were gonna need a lot of medical supplies," stated the marine. "How bad is it?" asked the people over the radio. "Bad, we have third degree burns, internal bleeding, and crushed bones from the several tones of metal laying on him!" Sending Medical officers there now, we'll get him out alive!" stating the man over the communicator.

Shepard began to black out again, not knowing if he could live or die. The marine kneeled next to Shepard. He said, "Don't quit on us yet Commander, this galaxy still needs a hero to thank." Shepard looked at the marine, wishing to say something back, but immediately blacked out.

* * *

It had been several hours, but Shepard was finally free. The workers had managed to get a pulse reading out of Shepard, but he still was blacked out. A female medical officer, covered in blood from working with the wounded after the battle, yelled orders to the various team members. "Shepard's out! We're gonna need to move him carefully to the hospital! Johnson, I want you ready to amputate both his legs and his right arm, as they were all crushed by those metal pylons. Rogers! We're gonna need you to carefully remove the armor, it's welded to the skin and is going to need to surgically remove it piece by piece. We're going to need top of the line medical supplies! Contact Hackett and the other leaders, we need all medical supplies we can spare.

Shepard had been moved to a hospital in London, which had become one main source for medical aid for the wounded. They moved him immediately into surgery after applying various drugs to his system. The surgeons had carefully amputated his right arm and legs. After the amputations; several cuts were applied to the armor to allow it to be removed. The armor had infused with Shepard's skin, creating spots of flesh after the armor was removed.

* * *

The surgery was in its 18th hour, and the officer Jennifer Cohen had been with Shepard since the marine's discovery. She had left the room to meet with Admiral Hackett, who was anxiously awaiting the news. "Doctor, how does it look?" asked Hackett. "We have him in a medically induced coma, but it looks like he will recover," said Cohen. "We can begin to clone new legs and an arm for you, but that'll take a few months," said Cohen, still looking at her medical charts. She seemed to have stared at them for the past few hours, keeping up with any new information. "Shepard's recovery will take a few months, but there is one issue that worries me," said Cohen. "What is it?" asked Hackett. "It's his brain activity, its relatively low… I'm afraid that Shepard may have long term brain damage from the fight," said Cohen, evading eye contact with Hackett. "How bad is it going to be Doctor?" Hackett asked with worry. "At most… He will have long-term memory lost, but at worst; Shepard could ultimately loose his ability to speak or interact with others," said Cohen.

There was silence between the two for the next few minutes, only exchanging looks at each other momentarily. Finally, Cohen spoke out, "You should go, and notify The Normandy, they'll want to know about Shepard's condition." Hackett simply nodded and left the hospital, somewhat broken that their hero was in the fight of his life.

Cohen returned to the room, seeing the amount of blood and flesh Shepard had lost. She realized that the next few days would be nothing, but surgery and repair on Shepard's body. She was tired, but knew the monumental task ahead of her. She prepped for surgery again, then went straight back to work, removing that armor, piece by piece.


	4. Chapter 4

Ashley awoke in haze. She felt as if she had just woken up from a horrible nightmare, but slowly realized the events that had past. Shepard had died, along with EDI and The Geth, and she had tried to take her life in that despair. She remembered being helped after firing the bullet through her stomach, unable to put one through her head.

Ashley slowly gained an awareness of her surroundings. She was hooked up to an IV machine and was laying on one of the bed I the Normandy's med bay. The air was clear and the room was bright, she saw no one in the bay. Ashley looked down; she was in the casual alliance clothes that she wore the last time she was in the hospital. Her stomach was heavily bandaged and could barely move.

Chakwas entered the room, "Ashley, glad to see you up," Chakwas said softly to Ashley. "You scared all of us back there," she tried to comfort Ashley. Ashley shrugged away from Chakwas as she attempted to make her more comfortable. "Ashley… we need to talk about what happened," Chakwas said to Ashley.

Just then; people began to enter the medical bay. Garrus, Tali, Liara, and Joker all entered by Ashley's bed side. "Ashley, we all need to talk about what happened," Chakwas said to Ashley again. Ashley softly said, "There's not much to say, I've lost everything." "Ashley that's not true," said Liara, "You still have your family and future!" "How do you Know?" exclaimed Ashley, "My family was on The Citadel, and the station blew up!" "They could be all dead, just like Shepard," Ashley began to cry.

Garrus said, "Ashley, they found Shepard…" Ashley suddenly jerked up, grunting in pain. "What, they found him!" "Yes, but he is in the fight of his life, and he needs us," Garrus said. Ashley suddenly was overcome with guilt; she had given up on Shepard, and on her life. "Ash, why would you try to commit suicide?" asked Tali, "You can always talk to us. We're like family."

Ashley responded, "I… I couldn't go on." "Throughout my entire career, I've had to face everything alone or with my family." "During these last few days, I didn't know what to do, I felt lost." The crew listened to Ashley's plight, "I lost Shepard, and heard nothing from my family, I didn't know where to turn."

Liara asked, "Ashley, we were there for you, why couldn't you talk to us?" Ashley said, "I've…. I've never felt that I could have the friendship you've had with each other." "I doubted Shepard when he was with Cerberus; I doubted your loyalties back on the original Normandy." Ashley looked at Garrus and Tali, "I couldn't trust you, simply because you weren't human…" Ashley felt guilty, remembering her complaints to Shepard about them. "I guess I'm nothing but a giant xenophobe…" Ashley said, looking down at her bandages.

"Ashley, do you think you were the only one that questioned the crew's loyalties?" asked Garrus, "Half of the time, I felt afraid of the damage Wrex could do." Tali jumped in, "I seconded guessed Shepard when he brought Legion aboard, but I eventually learned to trust Legion, even if it was right before he died." Joker stepped in, "Ashley, the six of us have gone through hell and Shepard was always there to lead us through it all."

Ashley looked at the crew; they really did care for her after all of this. She knew that they loved her, and she loved them back. They were her family, and that they would always be there for each other. Ashley began to softly cry, and they comforted her again. "Why did I ever lose faith in you guys?" asked Ashley. Joker said, "I lost faith in my life after EDI died; but I continued on, because I knew Shepard would want that."

Within the next few hours, The Normandy would be repaired and could leave the jungle planet. They were a couple of days from Earth, due to the explosion of the relays. The ship had repaired all of the computers and engines, and could easily return to Earth. Ashley, who was still bandage and in crutches, stood next to Joker on The Normandy's bridge, and stared into the vast expanse of space.

She knew Shepard was alive, wounded, but alive. She finally had found a reason to live again. She had doubted the crew, but that was now over. They were a family, a family of various species and beliefs, and that is what made them strong. The crew had always been there for one another, just like Shepard.

Ashley wasn't going to ever give up again, not after everything that had been lost. They would honor everything that had been lost, and rebuild what society had lost. She needed to go and help Shepard, for everyone's sake.


	5. Chapter 5

After three days of traveling through space; The Normandy had found its way back to Earth. They saw the damaged relay, a sight they never thought they would see. The inner rings of the relay were completely gone, and the back end was blown out. Pieces of the relay floated around the site, along with various forms of rubble from other ships.

The ships of all various fleets had begun to reconstruct the Relays. The relays had all been damaged, stranding the entire fleet within the sol system. However, that would give the entire fleet motivation to rebuild as quickly as possible.

The Quarian and Turians set up small gardens on their ship in order to provide food for their race. The Quarians and Asari were the main races to assist with the technological workings of the relays. Alliance ships worked with Turian and Krogan forces to build the relays. Together, they could get the sol relay working within the next month. However, the entire relay system would take years to be fully active.

The crew looked out at the various dead Reapers around the system. They were finally lifeless, no longer threatening this world with indoctrination after being physically destroyed. The reapers tech itself was completely useless. They attempted to salvage any usable parts for The Citadel or relays, but to no avail.

Most of the Reapers had their giant eezo core removed to prevent contamination to the soil of Earth. The Reapers were then slowly taken apart to be studied for any valuable information or technology. So far, the only information salvageable was a faster form of FTL. However, it could prove useful in the coming years without Relays.

The Geth ships had been gathered up after it was discovered they had all died. Instead of salvaging these robots, the Quarians had decided to honor their creations by giving them a funeral procession. They had decided to gather them up and lay them to rest on Rannoch. However, it was predicted it would be months before they could return to their home again.

The crew pasted the series of Geth ships, all gathered up for transport. Then they finally laid their eyes on it; The Citadel, completely destroyed, was floating around a war ravaged planet: Earth. Earth had no wildlife, no trees, and only ruins of the golden age humanity had. It would take decades to repair the damages Earth had endured, if ever.

"Normandy, is that you?" Hackett's voice came over the intercom. "This is The SSV Normandy, we read you loud and clear Admiral," Joker triumphantly said over to Hackett. "Shepard is currently at The London Ground Zero Hospital. You better get there, the doctor has something you all need to hear," said Hackett to The Normandy. "Aye aye sir, were headed there right now," said Joker ad he steered the ship towards London.

* * *

Joker had set the Normandy down near an air field near London. The ship had arrived on fumes to Earth and needed an immediate refill on fuel. The crew had departed from the ship in order to help with reconstruction. The squad had also left, but visit Shepard in the hospital. They had walked through the war torn rubble of London, assisting Ashley due to her injuries.

They finally arrived at the hospital. It was within the remains of an old parking garage in central London. Several sheets had been set up to crate the allusion of rooms for the patients. The rooms consisted of makeshift beds with paper sheets on them and a pillow. They only had a single lamp in them along with a several medical devices and charts.

Soldiers were constantly in pain, groans and screams heard from all over the building. There was a short supply of drugs and they were reserved for secure cases. Rooms had to be constantly checked for any deceased patients to change bed pans. The doctors had been up for anywhere from two to five days. There was no time to rest in this hospital; any moment of relaxation could result in the deaths of many.

The crew had been told to look for Jennifer Cohen, the chief medical officer of this hospital. The crew was told she would be on the second floor. The floor, reserved for surgery, had the smell of rotten flesh and blood. Several doctors were moving crates of body parts, all eerily covered by labels, stating their markings for procedure on disposal. They eventually made their way down the narrow hallway to a file room. The room was lined with charts and there were data pads skewed all over the room. Cohen had several empty coffee cups on the floor and was finishing up her latest cup.

"You must be he crew of The Normandy," said a tired Jennifer Cohen, tossing her data pad to the side and walking towards them. "Sorry if I seem less than enthusiastic, but I've been up the past several days saving The Captain's life," said Cohen. "Shepard's a Lieutenant Commander, not a Captain," said Tali, something Shepard had told various Quarians during her trial. "Actually, Admiral Hackett has given him a promotion, you're some of the first to know," said Cohen who was directing a doctor away from the room. "Shepard is on the third floor; he will be in room 312, just look for the sign by the cloth opening," Cohen rushed out afterwards, followed by her yell, "We can't take in those Salarians, we don't have the supplies! Move them to the site 5 miles southward!"

The crew momentarily stayed in the room. Chakwas said, "I should go talk to her, they could use my skills and The Normandy's supplies." The squad agreed and Chakwas went to find Cohen. The squad went back down to third floor. The third floor consisted of similar rooms, but the residents were in critical condition. They walked down the dimly lighted room; they saw 306,308,310, and finally 312.

They stood outside the room, wondering who should go in. Garrus spoke up, saying, "Ashley, I think you should go in alone, he means the most to you." Ashley thought about it, then said, "No, we all go in, he needs all of us." They made room for Ashley to be the first one in line to enter. She stood outside the room, holding her crutches tightly and shaking slightly. They entered the room.

Shepard's body was lying on a bed, just as any patient would be. However, Shepard was simply a torso and head, his left arm was resting next to him; his index and pinky fingers were the only ones left on his hand. He had several wires sticking out of his torso; all of them were hooked to up to complex machines controlling breathing, heart, and digestive system. Shepard's head was completely scarred; his hair had been completely removed to repair any damage to the skull. He had several scars, one vertical across his right eye and another from his left cheek diagonally down towards his throat. The glow of orange was painting his face.

Ashley whispered, "Oh my god… he's so damaged." Liara exclaimed, "Goddess… when I got the reports, I thought he'd be in better condition." Tali looked where his legs were, "Keelah… his legs are completely gone." Joker looked at Garrus and said, "Do you think he'll recover, I mean… this is unbelievable." Garrus responded, "I don't know, but he has everything he needs to recover; I guess it is just the will to recover." "He has more than that, he will recover," Ashley said while looking at Shepard's face.

Cohen came into the room with Chakwas. "My god…" gasped Chakwas, "This is bad!" Cohen looked at the group and said, "Shepard is currently in a state of comatose." "We don't know if he will wake up any time soon." "How long are we looking at," asked Ashley. "At best a few weeks… but it could be as long as several years if his brain activity doesn't increase," said Cohen, looking down at the wounded Shepard. "He also may have some major memory lost, but we can't predict how bad it could be."

Ashley started to cry after hearing the news. Liara came over and held Ashley's head against her shoulder. They knew that it would be a long time before Shepard could finally relax. They just hoped Shepard could wake up after all of this.


	6. Chapter 6

Shepard had awakened to a room of pure white, nothing in it but him. He didn't know what had happened; the voice of that marine was the last thing he had heard. He remembered the shooting that tube to destroy The Reapers, then wakening up in rubble and waking up in here again. He seemingly recalled a forest, but that had faded from him. Shepard had gotten up again and looked at the seeming endless horizon. It was nothing but white for as far as he could see, and all around him.

Suddenly a figure appeared in the distance, it got closer and closer to him. He suddenly recognized it, it was the child. It was that same child that died on Earth, the same one from his dreams, and the same one the catalyst appeared as. He approached the child and looked at him and spoke. "Who are you, are you the catalyst?" asked Shepard. The child responded, "No, I am a part of you." "You are trapped her within your mind, trapped by your guilt and pain." Shepard asked, "What can I do to leave?" "Your mind is broken, The Catalyst used everything to try to convince you down his paths, but failed; thanks to you strong will," said the child. "However, you will need to face what The Reapers attempted to use against you." "What would that be?" asked Shepard. "Just walk through this doorway, and you shall see," said the child before disappearing.

Shepard walked towards the doorway, his steps hesitant. The doorway was a simple burst of light in the middle of all of the white. When Shepard reached it, everything went into a blur. His hands seemed to fade from view and into nothingness. He clenched his eyes as the light overpowered him. The light jumped out and consumed him.

* * *

Shepard awoke in a field of wheat, the sun and clouds bearing down on him. He could feel the cool grass against his body and the rough dirt beneath him. Shepard had gotten up and stood among this golden field of wheat. Shepard looked towards a sight he thought he'd never see again. Shepard was looking at Mindoir, the colony he had grown up in.

The child appeared to him again. "This is where you were born, and where you lived the first sixteen years of your life," said the child to him. "This… this isn't real!" exclaimed Shepard to the child. "No, but it was and is in your mind," calmly said the child. "Look over there," said the child as Shepard looked.

There was a child, no more than five or six years old. He was playing in the fields with a couple of toy ships. His hair was brown and straight, his eyes were also a dark brown. Shepard looked back at the child and said, "Is that…me?" "Yes," responded the child "It is you at the age of a small child, a simpler time your mind can begin to grasp at." "I look so happy and carefree," Shepard said, still looking at himself. A voice called out to the child, "Daniel, time for supper!" Both of the Shepards looked, but only the younger one went.

Shepard was conflicted; he asked the child, "is that… my mom?" "Yes, it is; and your father is also there," said the child. Shepard decided to go towards his house. Shepard recalled the small town he lived in. He saw the stores, the school, and even some of his friends' houses. Shepard finally came to his house, the sight now in front of him. He saw his mother picking up him up and carrying him. Shepard's father greeted them each with a kiss.

Shepard saw them enter the house, and then broke down in tears. "Oh god…. I miss them so much," said Shepard. "Why show me this, why re-open this wound!" "You have lost so much, but have struggled to move past these losses," said the child, "This is just the beginning of your journey." "I loved them so much; I wish they could have been with me through all of this." "But they couldn't be there," said the child.

Suddenly, the blue sky had turned to red. The white clouds had been replaced by a blanket of black smog. The houses had been set ablaze with flames and covered in ash. Screams could be heard from all around the colony. Batarian raiders had set up cages and crates for prisoner transport. A teenage Shepard ran out of the house, followed closely by his mom and dad.

"Mom! Dad! We have to go, Now!" yelled the teenage Shepard. "The Batarians are close by, I can her them talking," said Shepard's dad. "Honey, we have to get away from here," said Shepard's mom, looking out to the port of the colony. "We can't get to the ships, the Batarians are making a sweep of the town," said Shepard's dad. "The field, we can go through that," said the teenage Shepard.

Just then, a Batarian popped out from behind a crate. He fired a shot from his pistol, hitting Shepard's mom in the hip. Shepard's dad pulled out a pistol of his own and shot and killed The Batarian. "Oh my god!" cried out the teenage Shepard. "Da…Daniel….go!" said Shepard's mom. Shepard's dad leaped to the side of his wife; he applied pressure to her wound. "Daniel, there are more coming; you need to leave, now," said his dad, still applying aid to his wounded wife.

"No… I can't go, not without you!" said the teenage Shepard. "Son, were all dead if stay, your safety is all that matters to us." The teenage Shepard turned towards the field; he turned around and said, "I'll come back and find you after this… I promise!" "…GO!" yelled Shepard's dad, tears in his eyes. The teenage Shepard ran to the field.

The adult Shepard had started to cry again, recalling those last moments. "I never got to see them again, even after I promised," said Shepard. "I was rescued a short time after running away, they said that they found no one at the colony," said Shepard, looking into the wheat fields. "The dead were burned, and any who survived were forced into a life of slavery." "My parents were killed, in that spot right there," he said as he pointed to were the two were standing he child then said, "Your journey had just begun, and there would still be much loss in your life." The child looked at the field, and the white doorway had appeared again. "Come, you still have much to face," said the child as he disappeared. Shepard stepped through the doorway, once again blinded by the light.


	7. Chapter 7

*2 Months Later*

The past few months had changed the lives of everybody. The galaxy had seen The Reaper threat come and go. It had also seen the destruction of the relays and The Citadel. It had also seen the loss of all synthetic life, despite its newfound friendship with organics. These losses had left the galaxy isolated from one another. The interstellar economy had completely halted. Only short-ranged colonies had any sort of trade with major cities, but most had been destroyed by The Reapers.

However, there was hope in the post-war galaxy. The various races had all united to reconstruct everything that had been lost. A few of the major relays had already been reconstructed opening up Palaven, Sur'Kesh, and Tuchunka to the fleets. The Citadel's reconstruction had also begun, but took less priority than fixing the home worlds.

Earth had been completely devastated in the wake of The Reapers arrival. The ecosystem was entirely non-existent, posing a problem to the future health of the planet. Humanity would have to clone entire populations of trees, flowers, and wildlife. Entire species, such as Elk and Brown Bears, had completely gone extinct. Even if repopulated, Earth would take hundreds of years to fully recover again.

The crew of The Normandy had also changed, everyone leaving to pursue reconstruction plans.

Liara had left the ship for Thessia. It would still be a few months till Thessia would be accessible to the Asari with the fleets, encouraging The Asari to work faster on the relays to their home. Liara, using her tools as the new shadow broker, helped maintain communication with Thessia. She also assisted in the technological reconstruction of the relays.

Tali had met up again with the Quarian flotilla. She had overseen the compilation of Geth for their memorial. The flotilla had also begun the reconstruction of the relays back to Rannoch. It was expected to be a couple years till their newly reclaimed home world was reachable. Tali had also begun to prepare plans for Rannoch's reconstruction.

Garrus had returned to Palaven. He returned to Palaven, assisting with the cleanup of Reaper corpses. After ensuring the safety of the planet and its reconstruction plans; he, along with several other ships, had left with The Quarian Flotilla to help reconstruct those relays. This gave Garrus a chance to be with Tali, making the two very happy.

Wrex, along with Grunt, had returned to Tuchunka. The newly cured population had greeted them with cheers of victory. The Krogan then began reconstruction of The Relays for both The Asari and Quarian fleets. Wrex remained on Tuchunka with Eve; both were expecting their first child, Mordin. Wrex had also overseen plans to rebuild structures on Tuchunka, despite its nuclear winter. The Krogan population was projected to grow below the predicted numbers, showing Krogan restraint and focus on family ties rather than state warfare.

Javik had gone to The Mars Archives, assisting with the recovery of any Prothean data. While still only a soldier, he had attempted to find any useful data left there to help the humans. However, the majority of the data clusters had been either corrupted or deleted by The Cerberus Agent there a few months ago. As soon as Javik was done; he would continue with his plans he had made on The Normandy for after the war.

James had stayed on Earth to help with reconstruction. He was assisting with the recovery of troops and civilians across of Earth. While Eurasia and Africa had been mainly recovered; the entire western hemisphere needed to be scanned and examined. James was currently in New York City, examining the ruins of buildings for survivors.

Joker, along with the rest of the Normandy's crew, had been running errands to and from Earth. The crew missed Chakwas, who was currently station at a medical hospital on Earth. They had transported materials for Earth's reconstruction and for Relay repair. Joker, right after the initial loss of the squad, had taken EDI's body to The Quarians. He had requested its burial alongside The Geth at their memorial. Afterwards, Joker had test driven through The Sol Relay after its reconstruction.

Ashley had decided to remain on Earth, resigning from command of The Normandy and placing it under Hackett's command. Ashley had remained in London, helping with reconstruction of the city. She had recovered from her wound and went straight to work organizing local forces. The crew had already restored several blocks of the city, along with Parliament and Big Ben. Ashley also was visiting Shepard every day.

For the most part, Shepard had begun to recover from his wounds. His cloned arm, legs, and fingers had been surgically reattached. The scars on his face began to fade, only the glow made them evident to visitors. Shepard's synthetic implants had also taken a surprising turn. While original needed for his survival, they mostly had become obsolete as Shepard's body began to re-heal over his wounds. Shepard was still in a state of comatose, but had some increased brain activity. Shepard's muscles had started to wear away too. The lack of movement, along with his diet of only required nutrients, had resulted in the loss of muscle and fat mass. Shepard's body was simply skin on bones, outlining his fragile skeleton. Shepard's hair had begun to come back in too. However, what was once a neatly trimmed goatee and haircut had become a scraggily beard and long untrimmed hair strands.

Shepard had also been transferred to a better hospital in London. This was an actual hospital, rather than the parking garage that was constructed on the spot for wounded. Shepard was still hooked up to various machines, and a few more to monitor his mind. This hospital room had a view overlooking a reconstruction of London. The room was equipped with running water and a constant power. The room was also equipped with a bathroom, even though it was never used. Shepard had received various cards, relics, and gifts from people thanking him as a savior from The Reapers.

* * *

Ashley had entered the hospital again, a book of Tennyson in one hand and some flowers in the other. She walked through the waiting room, which had been emptied out for supplies and charts. She walked down the hallway. The hallway had several computers up and running, along with doctors visiting their patients. The hallway's tan paint had crumbled away during the attack, leaving spots of cement and insolation exposed to her. She reached a crossroad intersecting this hallway and another, turning left towards the elevators.

Ashley stopped to see a doctor and nurse rush a lady into the elevator ahead of her. She was clearly in labor, somehow surviving the attacks during her pregnancy. Ashley was happy to see life still flourishing in these dark times, including Shepards. She reached the elevators, pushing the button to call the elevator down. She got into the elevator and pushed the button marked 4. The elevator doors closed, followed by the gradual feeling of being lifted upward.

The doors opened to a workstation of nurses and doctors. The floor was dedicated to those in critical conditions. She turned left and headed down the hallway. Shepard's room was 3-48, an easy door to spot. The door had been riddled with notes and pictures wishing Shepard well. Some candles were lit outside his door, presumably by someone who wanted to bless him with good luck. She got to the door, took a big breath, and then entered the room.

Shepard was resting in his bed, only the sounds of machines and their beeps were heard in this room. Ashley moved past the gifts Shepard had received and placed the flowers by his bedside, along with the several dozen all there. Ashley pulled a chair up to Shepard and sat down. She still held the book, but was looking at Shepard's face.

"Hey Skipper," quietly said Ashley. "Just thought I'd come and check up on you again, see if there was any news." "The doctors say that you're showing more and more mental activity," said Ashley, looking at the data the machines were displaying. "They say that it might be me talking to you every day, or all those poems I read you, but they really don't know." She then proceeded to tell Shepard her day.

"Today I went up on Big Ben, just to check the roof of the tower," said Ashley. "It was a gorgeous view, even with all the rubble around and no trees." "I could see the sunrise though, and it made me think of you." Deep down, Ashley had hoped for a response from Shepard, but nothing had ever come from it. "Then, I went back down and helped restore and old building a couple of blocks from the tower." "They say that it was built back in 1700's…hard to imagine all the priceless history lost by The Reapers." "I also got a call from Joker around noon."

"Joker had apparently been transporting bees to a lab in Moscow." "Apparently, they're researching the repopulation of flowers, and bees were a key ingredient to their reproductive cycles." "However, Joker didn't know they were bees, and opened the box to see what was inside." "The entire ship had bees flying throughout the vents," Ashley said, laughing at the thought. "The poor guy got stung a few times, unable to fight back since a slap could break his bones." "The entire hive was lost, but they had another hive left so it was okay."

"Anyways, I ate the usual army paste that us grunts get for lunch then went back to work." "Then, as usual, I came here to check on you," Ashley said as she smiled at Shepard. "I suppose you were just lying around all day as usual?" Shepard laid there, still deep in comatose. "Right… anyway, I suppose Chakwas and Cohen will be around to check on you soon, so I don't want to get in their way." She opened up the book to her bookmark. "Where did we leave off… here we are, Crossing The Bar."

"Sunset and evening star,

And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,

When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,

And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place

The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

When I have crost the bar."

She finished reading the poem, and closed the book. She leaned over to Shepard and lightly kissed his cheek. "I miss you so much Shepard," she said, tears forming in her eyes, "Please come home to me, please." She got up and left the room. She stopped and looked at Shepard one last time. She crossed her hands and put her head down.

"God… if you're up there, please guide me again, I am so lost without him. Please look out for him, I don't know what he's going through right now, but it isn't going to be easy." "Please give him strength to recover quickly." "Please bring him back to us: to Garrus and Tali, to Wrex, to Liara, to Joker, and to me." "Amen."

Ashley looked back again, and then turned back to the world she needed to repair.

* * *

A/N: The name of the poem was _Crossing The Bar_, and it was written by Lord Alfred Tennyson. I did not create that poem and do not attempt to profit from it.


	8. Chapter 8

Shepard had awoken again in an office room. There was no one present in it, but him. The office had an Alliance flag in the corner, next to several file cabinets. The room had a wooden desk, lined with various documents and a terminal on it. There was a window behind the desk, overlooking a plaza outside. The room also had various pictures of military officers and battles, such as The Second US Civil War and The First Contact War.

The Child appeared in front of Shepard again.

"This place, this is where I enlisted in The Alliance," said Shepard, looking at the picture of a soldier with a rifle.

"Yes, it is," said the child, "You enlisted here exactly on your eighteenth birthday, do you remember?"

Suddenly the door opened, a man in a military officer's uniform and an eighteen year old Shepard had entered.

"So…you want to enlist?" said the man, sitting down and beginning to type on his computer. "That's good," said the man, "Our military needs a lot of catching up to do if we ever are going to compete with those spike monsters, The Turians!"

The younger Shepard replied, "I just want to make the galaxy a safer place, you know, saving people from mercenaries and slavers."

"Son," said the man holding out a piece of paper, "Sign your name here and we can get stopping those bastards ASAP."

The younger Shepard picked up the paper, still hesitant about his future, but signed his name on the line.

The child turned to Shepard again and said, "This is what would eventually set you down your path to here."

The room gradually faded to white again. Shepard looked at the child and said, "Hold on one moment, where is here? Who are you and why are you that child from Earth? Why are you showing me this?

The child made the door of light appear again, but stopped from entering. He turned back towards Shepard and said, "This place is your mind. You remember shooting that tube, then waking up from darkness."

"There was more than darkness, I…I can almost remember it," said Shepard.

The child simply ignored the comment and continued, "That trauma of both confronting the purest form of Reaper consensus and Stress has put you into a state of shock and rejection." "Your subconscious is rejecting those events as truth, thus leading to a rejection of your entire history. You, and by you I am referring to the conscious mind, are struggling to wake up from it." "I am a part of both subconscious and conscious, something that is attempting to end both of your struggles.

Shepard was confused, to say the least. Shepard responded, "I don't understand…"

The child continued, "You don't have to, the mind is a very power thing; it is capable of anything and works in a mysterious way." "As for my form, I am simply attaching myself to a form which communicates to both levels." "I would appear to you as someone you love: your parents or perhaps Ashley, but guilt is a far better trigger than love."

The child looked at Shepard, still pondering what was said.

"Perhaps you'll understand later or perhaps not," said the child as he walked towards the door, "Point being, following me will help you leave this place and understand me a lot quicker."

Shepard simply nodded his head before heading into the light again.

Shepard awoke in a grassy field, the sky a pure blue. There was an Alliance flag on a pole at full mass next to him. There were buildings lining the next to the small roads in the complex. Each building had thin metallic walls with small windows in them. Only one building was wooden, and that was at the front of the facility.

Shepard said, "This was my old boot camp, back in Macapa." "That was the mess hall... and that was our barracks… and that was the storage!" Shepard looked around as he was filled with nostalgia and happiness. "I met a lot of people here, and learned my basic combat instructions."

A group of marines began to march down the road. Shepard looked and saw that the leader was Gunny Ellison. The marines were returning from a 5 mile jog around the nearby woods. The crew came to a halt, exhausted from work.

"That was pathetic, you really call yourselves marines?" said Ellison looking at a panting soldier. "If you guys would stop goldbricking around on these jogs, maybe you worthless sacks of flesh would be in better shape!" Ellison looked at the group again, "Why don't you all go to lunch and we'll continue this little conversation later."

The groups managed to get itself together and started to head to lunch. Shepard looked in the crowd and noticed himself. He had a completely shaved head and face, along with a alliance shirt and pants. His boots were muddy from the run.

"Well Shep, wasn't that fun," said one man to the younger Shepard.

"Yeah, about as fun as being shot at with those dummy rounds last week," said the younger Shepard. "You know Mason; I've been here for 4 months and haven't gotten a single ounce of respect from that guy."

"Ah don't worry about him; he's just angry that the two of us have scored higher than anyone here, including him half the time," said Mason as he walked next to Shepard. "Our time will come, our graduation is coming up." Mason stopped walking, grabbing Shepard's arm outside the mess hall. "Look at that."

A woman had just stepped out of the officer's Headquarters. She was about 5'11 and was wearing a standard officer's uniform. Her hair was a dirty blonde and was relatively long. She carried a pistol on her belt, along with several grenades.

"Staff Lieutenant Kate Human," said Mason looking at her walk towards the female barrack. "She can certainly be a lieutenant for my staff."

"Keep it in your pants Mason," said Shepard, "You can look all you want, but please don't talk about it in front of others."

"Why not?" said Mason, "Anyone here would storm that hill!" Mason continued to watch Kate pick order the female marines into a jogging position.

"Yeah, then you're gonna end up storming the courtroom with a fraternization charge on your hands," said Shepard, "I'm going to lunch, join me when you're done ogling."

The older Shepard watched from a distance, laughing at the irony of his statements. "Little did I know; I'd be doing the same thing years later."

Shepard followed them into the mess hall, standing next to himself and Mason at a table. A man appeared in the room, proceeding to walk towards the table.

"Serviceman Daniel Shepard and Service Frank Mason?" said the messenger.

"Yeah, that's us," said Shepard, looking at Mason.

"You two are to report to Staff Commander Ramirez's office following lunch; he needs to speak to you regarding your performance," said the messenger. He then saluted the boys; they saluted back, and then proceeded to leave.

"Oh boy, you two are screw!" said a marine at the other table.

"Shut up Travis; he most likely just wants to either congratulate us or promote us… or both," angrily said Mason to the other table.

"Nice knowing you Mason and you too Shepard," said another Marine at the table, "Looks like you two are gonna be heading outta here pretty quick!"

"We haven't done anything wrong," said the younger Shepard, "Except piss Ellison of by beating his scores… and setting some course records, oh wait! That would be just me, right Mason?"

"3 seconds Shepard!" barked Mason, "If I hadn't slipped on that mud at the end; I'd beaten you and set a new record."

"I beat you by 10 seconds Mason, and I slipped on that mud too," said Shepard as he took a bite out of the bread.

The older Shepard had watched it all play out. He simply laughed, "Man, I was cocky back then… but I got put in my place soon enough."

The room had faded again and Shepard was putt in Ramirez's office. Ramirez's office was a lot like the recruitment office Shepard enlisted in. The pictures had changed to Ramirez's accomplishments and his family. There were two windows on the left and right side as someone entered the office. There was also a slowly rotating fan at the top of the room.

Shepard and Mason sat next to each other, each distracted in their own thoughts. Soon the door opened; both marines shot up and saluted their commanding officer.

"At ease," said Ramirez, "Do you know what I am holding right here?" Ramirez held two brown paper envelopes, one in each hand.

"Discha…" Mason started to cough as he said the word, "Discharge papers?"

Ramirez looked at Mason, and then at Shepard, then back at Mason again. He had the look of angry and disappointment in his eyes. His lips had parted, revealing teeth that were pressed against each other. Shepard and Mason both braced themselves for a military verbal smack down.

Instead, Ramirez began to laugh, "Why would I ever want to do that to you?" Both Mason and Shepard calmed down. "The look on your faces…" said Ramirez, "It's always priceless to scare you FNG's." "I learned basic emotion reading at N-school, and that's what I have for you, an invitation."

'We were invited to N-School?" asked Shepard, the look of surprise fresh on his face, "How? They wouldn't just pull a couple of new guys out of boot camp."

"Why not, you two have scored extremely high on every test and course we've offered," said Ramirez as he handed them their envelopes. "You two are some of the most gifted recruits I've seen in a long time!" "I got offered the same opportunity you did."

"And how did that end, sir?" asked Mason.

"I barely graduated my N1 class," said Ramirez, "It was a grueling test of skill and wit." "I've seen marines break bones, cut themselves, and even get weird diseases at The Villa." "There's no mercy at that school, you pass or fail, but still respected." Ramirez looked at both of them, smiling, "But you two, I can see you making it past N4 or even N5!"

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, how can you become an N7?" said Shepard.

"You can only get to be an N6 at the academy," said Ramirez, "I've heard stories from a marine going through the N6 training. He only had several hours of sleep that entire week." "He had been forced through a grueling course through the unpaved jungle." "The worst part though, is they mess with your mind." "They make you loss all perception of when it's a trial and when it isn't."

Ramirez began to remember his conversation, "He was telling us about a shadowy figure that followed him, when a man came up to us." "He proceeded to knock me on my ass and knocked out the man with some sort of stun gun." "He dragged him off into the forest, I saw him a few days later… in the medical ward, covered in hives and leeches." "Even if you pass that, The N7's are a whole different story!" "An N7 trainee is taken away, it's so secretive; some of the trainers there don't even know what happens."

"Oh...my…god," said Mason, "I…I couldn't do that!"

"It may seem bad now, but you'll be renowned as the Alliance's best," said Ramirez, "You'll get the best weapons, best pay, best equipment, and meet enough people to set you up on the right path." Ramirez looked at the two again, "inside those envelopes, there should be some basic info, a FAQ, your password for the technology there, and your ID cards."

He got up and shook the two boy's hands. "You two are the best here, even beating out our officers," said Ramirez as he's shook Mason's hand. "I'm sure you'll fit in at the villa just fine." He turned to Shepard, "Shepard, you've set records on two thirds of all our courses; if there's anyone who can become an N7, it's you."

"Hey!" said Mason, "I'm standing right here."

"Oh, well excuse me princess!" said Ramirez, "Maybe if you broke a record; I'd say the same to you!"

Mason simply turned away, not wanting to punch his Commanding Officer in the face.

The room once again faded to white. Shepard looked out into the horizon of white.

Shepard said, "My invitation to The Villa, that's where it all changed." "Mason and I would set out to change the world."

The child looked at Shepard, "We still have much to do, so it's time to revisit The Villa." "A place of fear, paranoia, and pain for your mind." The door appeared again, the light brighter than it was before. Shepard walked towards the door, once again consumed by the light.

* * *

A/N: Next couple chapters are most likely going to be focused on Shepard and The Villa, since I have a lot of ideas about it.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: After much thought, I decided to do continue with the basic Shepard/Ashley chapter format I've kind of set up. I just didn't want it to get very heavy on the whole Shepard story. So here's another Ashley chapter.

* * *

*1 month later*

Ashley had begun to see an Alliance issued therapist. Therapy wasn't one of her strongest points, considering the fact she wasn't a word person. In fact, she felt that she could get over all of this alone. However, in light of her recent Suicide attempt, the crew encouraged her to restart. So, with all the support of the crew, she went back.

Ashley had been to therapy once before, back after Shepard died in The Collector's attack. She had spiraled out of control after he left her. It was simple at first, she wouldn't leave her apartment, drinking various forms of alcohol and reading her poems. She often would sit and cry to herself, thinking again of her dad and Shepard.

Ashley had also begun to stop working. She started ignoring alerts sent by The Alliance and avoiding her crew mates. She also avoided contact with her family, not wanting to bring them into this. Ashley had only left the house to buy alcohol and the basic food necessities. She often only ate once a day, and eating barely a sandwich at most. She would often fall asleep and awake on the floor or on her couch.

Finally, Ashley's family had confronter at her apartment. They used a key they acquired from an outside source, not ever naming the source. They went in to find Ashley laying against her couch, her television turned to The ANN. She had been watching non-stop reports about Shepard, drinking a sip of vodka every once and awhile.

"Ashley, what are you doing to yourself?" asked Lynn.

"I'm drowning out the pain of loss," said Ashley, taking a big swig of the vodka, "you know that."

"Ashley…hun," said Mrs. Williams, "I think you need to stop." She tried to take the bottle away from Ashley, but Ashley had ripped the bottle back into her hands, continuing to drink from it.

The family had begun to look at the apartment; her living room was a mess of poetry books and empty beer bottles. The kitchen was relatively clean, with exception of some empty beer bottles and a half eaten piece of toast stuck to the floor. They opened the fridge to find only half a quart of milk and a jar of pickles. The rest of the fridge was full of half empty bottles of whiskey, wine, bourbon, and rum. She hadn't used any dishes, at least none they could see.

The bedroom hadn't been used in weeks. Her sheet and blankets all scattered around the room. Her bookshelf was empty, the books scattered around the apartment. The bathroom was also a mess. Her toothbrush and toothpaste left out on the counter. She had also left an empty bottle of tequila and a couple of beer bottles in the sink. Her waste bin was full of empty beer bottles, along with a couple of half-eaten chicken sandwiches. The shower hadn't been cleaned in a long time, a clear film of residue on the walls. Her medicine cabinet was completely empty, except for two full bottles of aspirin and a shot glass.

"Sis, you have to snap out of it!" said her baby sister, Sarah, "Your commander is gone and he's in heaven."

"Heaven?" said Ashley taking finishing the bottle of vodka, "There is no heaven and there is no god!" Ashley tossed the bottle backwards, shattering it in on the wall.

"Ashley, you don't mean that," said Abby, "You're drunk."

"And your ugly," laughed Ashley.

"Seriously, you need professional help," said Ashley's mom, "We only want the best for you." "We'll get you a therapist and some anti-depressants."

"Why?" said Ashley sarcastically, "So some Psychology degree major can tell me how I feel and what to do?" "Screw that!"

Ashley had gotten up and stumbled her way into the kitchen. She had reached for the fridge, but Sarah blocked her path.

"Ash! Knock it off!" yelled Sarah, "You don't need any more!"

"I do!" yelled back Ashley, "It's the only thing getting me through this!" She pushed Sarah against the counter.

"Why are you acting like this?" yelled Ashley's mom.

"BECAUSE THE MAN I LOVED DIED!" screamed Ashley.

The room drew silent; Ashley had settled down and started to cry. She fell down on the floor and started sobbing. Her family helped her get up and set her on the couch. They put a pillow under her head and her mother held her hand.

"He's dead," Ashley softly said as the tears began to subside, "He's dead, and I never got to tell him I loved him."

"What do you mean you 'loved' him?" said Lynn as she sat down in the chair next to Ash.

"I loved him, he was my soul mate," said Ashley, "Whenever we talked, my heart fluttered, my breath got short, and time stood still." "We could talk about anything and everything: family, religion, poetry, and even you." "We had so much in common; it was like everything was going right in my life." "I loved him so much; I broke the rules just to show him how much I cared."

"Broke... the rules?" asked Sarah, "Like you kissed?"

"I think she is talking about more than that," said Ashley's mom, giving her youngest daughter a certain look, one that displayed what she truly meant.

"Oh…OH!" said Sarah, "You mean you… and Shepard…holy shit!" said Sarah.

"Language," said Ashley's mom.

"He's dead, and I never got to even say goodbye," said Ashley, beginning to cry again. "I just want to make the pain go away!"

"Ashley, your family is here for you, we will always be here for you," said Ashley's mom.

"We will always be here for you," the words ringing throughout Ashley's head in the waiting room. She promised that, but that promise could no longer be fulfilled. Ashley's sisters and mom hadn't been found in the past 3 months. The last she knew, they were on the citadel when The Reapers attack. There had been no contact from them, checking her email every day. There were still unexplored parts of The Citadel, but they had told her not to hope for any results.

Ashley had lost everything 3 months ago; she had lost her family, her love, and her faith. Only one of those things had come back, but she needed the other two to continue onward.

"Ashley Williams, the doctor will see you know," said an assistant.

Ashley got up and walked towards the door. "Okay," she thought, "Let's try to get through this."


	10. Chapter 10

Shepard had awoken again in an Alliance ship; he was standing in the aisle way of what he recalled to be a civilian transport ship. The ship was equipped with several rows of leather seats. The ship had white metallic walls, a window at the end of each row. Shepard looked to see about 20 people in the 50-some passenger ship. He moved a couple rows up until he was right next to himself.

"There she is," said Frank Mason, "there's where the next couple of years of our lives will be!"

The entire crew had begun to look out of the windows; what they say amazed them. They saw The Villa.

The Villa was a large complex of various buildings along the coastline of Rio de Janeiro. The buildings had unique, semi-futuristic designs to them. Each building housed a different asset for the marines. The buildings were accompanied by several smaller building, made for offices and housing. There was also a hospital, shared with top medical officers for The Alliance.

The complex also housed several other unique features. There appeared to be several Olympic style swimming pools and tracks. There was a huge firing range running along the western border of the complex. Moving to the east, there was a military airport, housing some of the most advanced ships for The Alliances top pilots. To the south, The Atlantic Ocean was home to several fusion generators that powered the facility and some areas for training.

The north end is what scared everyone. To Jungle had slowly been excavated to build on of the world's largest training course. The beginning had your standard military obstacles, but the farther you went north, the thicker and denser the jungle got. It was said that there was a whole other facility out there, hidden from view. However, such rumors had been one of the basic uses for psychological intimidation of the marines.

"Wow, this place looks like a giant resort," said the younger Shepard.

"Yeah, if your idea of a resort is hell on Earth," said Mason.

"Attention new arrivals," said a man over the intercom, "Please have your IDs ready to scan and report to basic preparation."

"Basic preparation," said Shepard, "I wonder what that is?"

* * *

Shepard was standing in line at basic preparation, or BP as the staff called it. He had been standing in line with about 100 other marines for the past 20 minutes; the line slowly moving up. He finally got to the front and was told to enter office number 2. When he entered the room, he saw nothing but darkness.

"Hello?" said Shepard.

Suddenly, Shepard was knocked out by a blow to the back of the head. The last thing he saw was someone's boot in front of his face.

* * *

Shepard had awoken in a small bedroom, his clothes had been changed to a black military uniform; a big white N1 marking up the front of his shirt. He felt an immediate pain in his abdomen, not to mention the back of his head. The room had walls of a fine wooden texture, each wall made with several vertical wood panels. The room contained a small desk and chair. There was a single reading lamp on the desk. His bed was that of a standard military cot. There were no windows, and only a single light on the ceiling.

Shepard lifted his shirt and looked at his abdomen. His stomach was marked with around 50 needle injection points. Some had large red bumps around them, some had almost faded away. Shepard noticed that this was the same for his arms and legs. Shepard also noticed that he had received a green circular stamp on his hand.

The door opened to Shepard's room, a man entered, wearing the same uniform as Shepard's, but marked N3.

"You are to report to orientation now," said the man.

"I'm not gonna get knocked out again, am I?" asked Shepard.

The man laughed to himself, "No, but you're learning."

Orientation allowed Shepard to re-meet up with Mason. Shepard, along with several other marines, was staying in smaller wooden cabin outside a larger, white building. Shepard and the crew had to enter the white building. Inside, there were several large auditoriums, one was holding a speech for some N2 graduates, another was for briefings on a ship to be co-designed by both Turians and Humans, and then there was one for orientation.

Shepard had entered the auditorium, it was reminiscing to that of a concert hall. The walls to the sides were draped with a large red cloth. The front had a stage, rounded to enhance the sound waves of the speaker. The whole stadium could house up to several hundred people, yet only about a hundred would be in here.

The current Shepard looked at his surroundings. "I remember this place, this was The Governor's Hall, it was the place were one of my N7 practices took place." "It was also were I reconnected with Mason.

A man walked out onto the stage, he then proceeded to speak into the microphone.

"If you could all please move to the front rows please, since there's only 92 of you we can fill up the first 5 or 6 rows." "Please don't be a rebel and sit in the back; it's just rude to everyone else and it'll make everyone's lives harder, but mainly your own."

The crowd had begun to move into their seats. Shepard sat a couple seats in from the end of the second row. Mason ran up and sat next to Shepard, much to Shepard's surprise.

"Mason!" said Shepard, "What happened?"

"The hell if I know, but it's got me both scared and pumped," said Mason.

"Alright," said the man on the stage, "Everybody has found there seat… so…welcome." "Welcome to Interplanetary Combatives Training." "You have been brought here because you are the best of the best, as cliché as it may sound." 'However, over the next couple of months, you will either succeed and move forward with your training or fail and go home." "You may be wondering, what the hell just happened?"

The man stopped and looked at his hands. He finally looked back at the recruits, saying, "You've been ejected with dozens of vaccines and drugs, all to combat what you may face here." "Your drug resistance has been slightly raised and so have your body's speed and strength." "The only downside is that most of you will go blind within the next day," said the man. The crowd got nervous and started to whisper to one another.

The man began to laugh, "I'm sorry, that's just my kind of humor." "No, none of you will go blind, at least by the medicine…..." Anyway, there is a color on your wrist that color will assign you into squads." "Please go into your squads." "Also, my name is Jacob and I run this place."

The man quickly ran off stage. Several men came forth from the back to round up their squads. Shepard and Mason were paired up together, along with seven other marines. Shepard and Mason were dragged off to their new basic training.

The current Shepard watched himself being taken. "Ah… Jacob, that guy was also so weird. His jokes all scared us and he only appeared a couple a times every month." "However, he did make some of the best pie at Thanksgiving, even if it was poisoned." "So here begins my N7 journey." "Where to next child?"

The child said, "There's a lot more here you need to remember, but I'm glad to see you're accepting of all of this I am showing you."

"Yeah, I figured it'll get me out of here quicker, speaking of… how long has it been since I last was awake," asked Shepard.

"I do not know, but it hasn't been long enough for you to die yet," said the child as he made the doorway appear again.

"Nice to know…" said Shepard as he went through the door.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I put a funny Easter egg in the therapist's lines. Whoever can find it shall receive an internet cookie.

Also, to give you an idea of what I'm thinking of with that brain device. If you've ever played the game Heavy Rain, it's that thing Ethan's wearing at the therapist's office.

* * *

Ashley had entered the therapist's room, waiting for the doctor to arrive. She was still very nervous about all of this, not wanting to confide in a total stranger. She preferred to face her problems alone, or with family. However, she currently had almost no one to turn to. The crew of The Normandy had gone their separate ways and was busy. Her family was missing and Shepard was in a coma. She began to look around the room.

The couch she was sitting on was a reddish cloth. There was a head pad equipped to both sides, mainly for monitoring brain activity and emotions. Several computer screens were hooked up to various sides of the walls. They worked to show what was on the doctor's computer or television. She currently was watching the news. The wall only had several awards attached to it, along with the doctor's PHD. Shades covered the window; only thin streaks of sunlight came into the room.

The news had come on again after its commercial break. The media, in an attempt to bolster ratings, had begun focusing on character stories and gossip; rather than the dark future The Reapers left the galaxy in.

The lady on the news began to speak, "Commander Shepard: Savior of The Galaxy and hero to many still is in a coma." "It is currently week 13 for our coma watch, with little news unfortunately." "However, a question yet unanswered by many, does Commander Shepard have a girlfriend?" "Currently, it is unknown if he does, but insider sources have said that Shepard has pursued and illegal relationship with a crew member."

Ashley turned the TV off. "Even after all he's done, the media just can't shut their mouths," Ashley thought to herself, "If anybody were to find out about us, we'd never get any peace." The only people who knew about the two were king enough to turn their heads. The crew of The Normandy knew, but would never outright admit it; and her family knew, but they understood and silently accepted the possible outcomes of their love.

She thought about what could happen if they were discovered. They most likely would be forced to resign from both The Alliance and The Spectres. Then, it would be a shameful walk through media lane, having countless rumors and paparazzi annoy them. Any chance for the two would be destroyed.

The therapist walked in, he put his bottle of water down on his desk and looked at Ashley.

"You are Ms. Ashley Williams, correct," he said to her, she proceeded to nod. "I'm Doctor Samuel Johnson." "A little bit about myself; I was chief resident of psychiatry at Mass. General for two years, and I did my fellowship in psycholinguistics at MIT." "I currently am working to help Alliance soldiers recover from indoctrination effects." "However, you are here because," the doctor looked at his data pad, "You attempted suicide back on The Normandy and you were encouraged to pursue therapy." "So, if you could just lie back and rest your head in the slot, then we can begin," said Doctor Johnson with a smile on his face.

"Well," said Ashley, "It all began during the memorial service on The Normandy," said Ashley. "I guess I had nowhere else to turn, my… commander was dead and family was gone." "I couldn't talk to anybody about my problems."

The doctor stopped her, "Let's talk a little about Commander Shepard, can we?" he asked.

"Okay," said Ashley.

"So, when did you first meet him?" asked the doctor.

"I meet him back on Eden Prime, when The Geth attacked it with Saren," said Ashley. "He had just found me after escaping from a couple of Geth." "He confronted me, asking if I was okay, and we proceeded to find the beacon."

The doctor had begun to write some notes down, "Okay, so you joined The Normandy crew afterwards, correct," asked the doctor.

"Yes, it was a great honor to serve under his command," said Ashley.

"Okay… so how did you and Shepard get along on the ship."

Ashley hesitated for a moment, "The commander and I had a nice friendship outside the battle, along with the rest of the crew."

The doctor looked at Ashley's brain activity, "So you had a…nice… personal connection to Shepard," asked the doctor.

"We became good friends, especially after Kaiden died on Virmire; he sacrificed himself to stop Saren's plans," said Ashley, thinking about her lost friend.

"So, you two had a growing friendship during the hunt for Saren," said the doctor, "Was there anymore to this?"

"No, none I can think of," said Ashley.

"Okay… so the death of your friend had resulted in you becoming suicidal," said the doctor, "There is more to it than that Ashley, I've looked at your psychological profiles; you're not a suicidal person or someone who struggles with losses, unless they are deep and emotionally binding." "Tell me the truth Ms. Williams."

Ashley struggled to tell the truth, but eventually decided to come clean, "Alright, me and Shepard were… more than friends."

"Okay, now we can start to make some progress," said the doctor. "Question I need to ask, did you and Commander Shepard engage in any sort of sexual activities during the hunt for Saren?"

Ashley was hesitant to respond, "Yes….yes we were."

"You are aware that was a clear violation of fraternization regulations for The Alliance?" asked The Doctor who was rapidly jotting down notes.

"Yes, but… I don't think either of us cared," said Ashley, "We both were…..in love." Ashley honestly wanted to melt away, telling a stranger her most inner feelings. Knowing he would tell the world of their actions.

"Love is a complicated word," said the doctor, "You might have just been infatuated with each other's presence, or you could honestly have that connection," the doctor looked at the monitors, "However, I'd say that you two actually had a connection from what I can tell." "Tell me, how many times did you engage in intercourse with Shepard before his 'death'?"

"I don't know, only a handful; about a dozen times….maybe less," said Ashley as she twiddled her thumbs together.

"And these were all on The Normandy?" asked the doctor.

"No, only once was ever on The Normandy, the rest were in hotel rooms Shepard had rented for the night," said Ashley.

"Okay, so you lost the man you had fallen in love with, but that happened once before, what changed?" asked the doctor.

"I didn't have anyone to talk too," said Ashley again, "I hadn't and still haven't heard from my family; they allowed me to get over Shepard's death, they weren't there for me."

"What about the crew," asked the doctor, "Couldn't they fill that role?"

"Yes, they could have," Ashley said, "But I didn't feel worthy… I still don't." "They are all off doing something incredible, helping out their planets and becoming leaders." "I'm just a second-rate Spectre who shot Humanities councilor." "I'll never change the galaxy like they did along with Shepard."

Ashley, our time is almost up so I'll be brief," said the doctor, "That simply isn't true. You are humanities' second Spectre, our only Spectre right now. You can represent everything an Alliance woman has to make it to the top." "I want you to talk to the others on The Normandy's crew, see how they are currently feeling." "I'm sure their feelings will help enlighten your own."

The buzzer went off and Ashley got off of the couch. She thanked Doctor Johnson then left the office. She immediately called Hackett, wanting to see if she could come back to Normandy's command.


	12. Chapter 12

Shepard had just ahead in time again, his time at N-School still only beginning. He noticed that he was out at the training courses, the day cloudy and only around eight in the morning. The wind had been slightly blowing that night, leaving a small degree of dew left on the grass. Shepard and Mason appeared over the hill. They each were carrying a crew member to safety. They had gotten to a medical doctor on the field, leaving their injured squad mates with the doctors.

"Oh my god, twenty seven hours… twenty seven hours of pure torture," said Mason as he sat on the grass. He removed his helmet, revealing a muddy face and red eyes. Shepard's face was the same as Mason's.

"We hiked… God, must of been twelve miles out there, for what, to have a sniper ambush us?" said Shepard, opening up a canteen he had acquired. The water was warm and stale, not refreshing to any degree, but still quenched their thirst.

"Yeah, you got him though, climbing that tree and hitting him with that rock… smart move," said Mason, "Just freaking wished he didn't take out their legs, having to carry them all the way back was a nightmare."

"Yeah, but it'll all be over soon," said Shepard, "hopefully…"

"Mason! Shepard! Get your asses up and to the showers! This isn't a daytime spa!" yelled on of the drill sergeants, still carrying his sniper rifle. He proceeded to fire on across their noses, just for the fun of it.

"God, what an ass," said Mason, "I'm gonna at least need several days of sleep."

"Try a few hours," said Shepard, "Unless they try to burn down the building again, then it'll be a couple of hours."

"God…" said Mason, "How much longer till were N2s?"

"Tomorrow will decide everything," said Shepard, "The big test is tomorrow; both the written and field is given by the N7s I heard."

"Sure, and maybe we'll get to go home," said Mason.

The current Shepard looked at the two soldiers, both of them heading towards the showers. "That was some of the hardest training I had to date, but at least I was sane for all that, not like those other tests."

The child looked at Shepard again, "You past those final tests; you and Mason were top of the class, promoting you to the N2 program."

Shepard looked off into the jungle, "Yes and that program is where they separated the lucky from the gifted."

The field had faded once again, this time reappearing deep in the jungle. Trees and vines surrounded the circular clearing they were in. The circular clearing had a tree stump in the middle, surrounded by several rocks about 3 feet high. The group of N2s had entered from a concealed path in the jungle. They were about 10 miles northwest of the facility. A sergeant was carrying a large metallic suitcase along with his pistol. He set the case down on the stump, opening it with one hand. Inside, there was foam layering inside the case; inside that foam were two large serrated combat knives.

"Alright boys and girls," said the drill sergeant, "Today, were going to learn how to fight in a close combat situation." "Now, there are two ideas of close quarter weaponry." The first is Omni-tool technology and biotics, but that is another lesson for those of you gifted with that talent." "The other is the combat knife, or it'll be those Omni-weapons if The Alliance decides to fund that 'genius' idea," said the sergeant.

"Corporal Shepard and Corporal Rogers please step forward and take a knife," said the sergeant. The two complied and handled the knives. "Now what you are going to want to do, is hold the knife outwards with the natural flow of your wrist. The knife should be right below the neck, next to your sternum." "Now, counterbalance the knife for a quick slash and retraction."

The two had practiced the technique until they got the form down. "Good, now your goal is to create a cut several centimeters deep in the other."

"What?" asked Corporal Rogers, "You want us to wound the other?" "I can't do that!"

The sergeant grabbed the knife from Rogers and held it against his stomach. "You will do it, or I will cut you several inches deep!" yelled the sergeant. "Is that what you want? A quick ride home back to HQ… I outta break your legs right here and now!"

"Fine," said Rogers, "I'll do it… sorry Shepard."

"It's okay, just doing what you have to do."

"Aww, isn't that cute," sarcastically said the sergeant, "Now fight!"

The two had begun to step back and forth from one another. Rogers had looked for an opening near Shepard. He ran near Shepard, but retreated after receiving a tear in his clothes.

"Did he get you?" said the sergeant, "Tisk, tisk, tisk, only the sleeve Shepard, you're gonna have to better than that Shepard."

Rogers ran towards Shepard again, his knife extended like a bayonet. Shepard side stepped away from Rogers' path. As Rogers past him, Shepard cut a large gash across Rogers' back with his knife. Rogers fell to the ground in pain.

"Arghhhh!" Roger said, his back starting to bleed profusely.

"Good Shepard, you used your enemies stupid anger charge and caused massive damage," The sergeant said while examining the wound. "In real life, if you stabbed while coming down here, that would sever the spinal column," he pointed to a spot next to the spine. "Alright, give me the knives, time for the other six to try."

Shepard ran to Rogers after giving back the knife, "Rogers, I'm so sorry," said Shepard. Shepard began to use Roger's shirt to fasten a bandage across the wound.

"No problem, just glad you didn't kill me," said a shaky Rogers.

Shepard and Rogers proceeded to watch the others fight to. Mason was up against Simmons in the knife fight. He approached Mason, but Mason was quick with a knife, and quickly slashed it.

"ARGHHHHH!" yelled Simmons, whose middle finger was clearly off.

"Jesus Mason," barked the sergeant, "I said a cut, not to cut off their limbs!" "However, I'll give you points for clean entry and exit, along with the smooth cut." Simons was on the ground in pain, screaming as loud as he could. "Simmons, settle down!" said the sergeant, "Shepard, seeing how you care about everyone's wellbeing, take Simmons back to the medical unit." "Just don't get lost in here; we find enough skeletons in these jungles every year." "Hold still Simmons," said the sergeant as he lit a cigar. He took a few puffs from it, and then proceeded to cauterize the wound.

Simons had reduced to hyperventilating and moaning. Shepard helped up the wounded Simmons and carried him out into the forest.

The current Shepard watched it all. "Simmons never got his finger back, the sergeant said he simply threw it out into the jungle," said Shepard. "The wound was eventually fixed, but he had to leave, unable to hold guns properly anymore." "It was there were I realized what I hadn't gotten myself into." Shepard looked at the knife he had used on Rogers. "I had become a monster, fighting my own friends because it would strengthen me," said Shepard, "But that's not how it works; I would maintain my ideals, no one else would die under my watch."

"Once again, fate would only allow more death for you," said the child, "However, we'll get to that, but we need to continue." Shepard had followed the child into the door that had just recently appeared. Shepard's training had just begun, and he was about to rediscover the psychological horrors that he once faced.


	13. Chapter 13

*1 month later*

Ashley had been promoted to Staff Commander. She had been granted it after her work to rebuild London and events during The Battle for Earth. She had regained control of The Normandy and worked under her title as a Spectre. She had moved into Shepard's old quarters, still full of Shepard's supplies. She walked into the room at the end of here shift, exhausted from moving the materials for Earth's reconstruction.

Thessia had become accessible by relay and was starting to be rebuilt. The all the major home worlds had become reopen to one another. This allowed for some interstellar trade of materials and goods, but charity was still highly common for many. The Normandy had just returned from Palaven, transporting a series of ore deposits to Paris; they were attempting to rebuild several of the cities iconic figures.

Ashley had looked left to the aquarium Shepard had kept. The VI kept them fed and the tank clean, leaving it free from Ash's worry. "Man, they'd be dead within a week with me," thought Ashley. She turned towards the ship case, looking at the models Shepard had collected. "Man, Shepard is such a nerd with these; he's got all of them, including that Shadow Broker ship." She looked at Shepard's photo of her own his desk. "Where was that photo taken? I look freaking ugly in it, wonder where he found it?"

She turned towards the bathroom, looking at Boo as she entered the room. She wanted to see everything Shepard still had in the bathroom. His toothbrush and toothpaste were neatly lined up by each other. Shepard had cup with some barber scissors in it. "God, him and that goatee of his; he's gonna be pissed when he wakes up and finds that rugged beard on him." She looked towards the shower, examining the shower head and shampoo.

She stepped back out of the bathroom, looking at Shepard's bed and drawers. She opened up the drawers, finding his pants and shirts, all neatly folded and pressed. She opened another drawer, revealing Shepard's socks and boxers. "Hmm, Shepard's boxers, they're not on him… just the way I like it," she thought to herself, "God that was both cheesy and horrible!" she said aloud. She looked at Shepard's bed, remembering the night before the battle for Earth. She sat down on the couch across from the bed. She tapped a secret button on the side of the small island in front of the couches.

The compartments opened to reveal a cooler. The cooler was filled various bottles of wine and beer. Shepard had begun the stash when he originally found the cooler, saving it for special occasions. She grabbed one of the bottles of wine, she read it aloud.

"2078 San Francisco Red Wine- made from the finest ingredients for the finest occasions," she held the bottle in one hand, "We'll save you for later, when Shepard wakes up, but you, the 15 credit wine, I think Shepard won't miss you." She opened the bottle, pouring herself a glass. She turned on The ANN, wanting to see the latest news on Earth.

"This is an ANN breaking news report!" said the announcer as the logo flashed across the screen.

"Another Elcor probably fell off a building," said Ashley laughing, remembering the tense news story being displayed for days.

"At around noon, we received reports that London has been attacked by Cerberus forces, Big Ben is up in flames and buildings are being burned down."

Ashley dropped her glass of wine, running towards the console.

"Joker, we need to get to London ASAP!" said Ashley into the console.

"Already on a course there, we'll be there in a few moments." "I'll be dropping you off near Shepard's hospital."

"Thanks Joker, Ashley said as she ran to the elevator, then hitting the button to the cargo hold."

* * *

The sky over London had smoke of burning materials over it. Big Ben had completely collapsed after several attacks. Cerberus ships were bombing several Alliance sites and dropping troops all over London. Several Mechs had been deployed to clear out some buildings with Alliance soldiers in it. Two Cerberus officers were standing on a bridge, overlooking the chaos.

"You see young Mikhail, this is just the beginning of or reckoning!" said the older man in Cerberus armor.

Mikhail put out his cigarette, throwing the butt into the river. "Yes, but you are doing it wrong Matthew, we need to rebuild our strength, not throw it away," said Mikhail. "We need to become political, show humanity why humanity is better than everyone; how we saved them from death."

Matthew looked at Mikhail and said, "I'm going to go and take care of our 'savior,' just stay her and watch our progress."

* * *

Cortez was bringing Ashley and James down to London, bringing them a block from Shepard's hospital.

"Holy Shit, they're blowing up months of work!" said Vega.

"I'm going to secure Shepard; I need you to meet up with The Alliance, give them this; there a series of Cerberus ciphers and codes," said Ashley, handing Vega and data pad, "They'll knock out targeting systems and electronics, giving us a chance to respond."

The ship landed, and the two took off in different directions. Ashley entered the hospital. The waiting room contained two guards; they were holding several doctors hostage. Ashley ran up behind them, using each Omni-blade on her hands to assassinate the guards.

"Where's Shepard?" asked Ashley.

"I don't know, but that old guy was looking for him," said one of the doctors.

"Go, now! There should be an Alliance FOB a block to the south," Ashley said running down the hallway.

She ran down the hallways, shooting soldiers with her Paladin at each guard. She tore through the hallway until she got to the elevators. They were out of order. She ran to the stairs, running as fast as possible up them.

She reached Shepard's floor, looking for his room. She found the old man walking down the hallway, a paladin in his hand also.

"Drop the weapon now," ordered Ashley.

The man simply stopped in his tracks, slowly lowering his gun to the ground.

"Kick it back to me, now!" said Ashley.

He did so also.

"Now hands on your head!" barked Ashley.

The man slowly raised his hands, revealing a trigger in his other hand

"We are the watchdogs of humanity, and you will not get past us," said the man.

He pressed the trigger; a rapid beeping had begun on the gun that she had kicked back to her.

"Oh Shit!" She yelled, getting knocked back by the blast.

Ashley was wounded, the bone and flesh in her left leg clearly visible. Her armor had been burned; pieces had completely been blown off. Ashley grabbed her gun, crawling down the hallway the man was in. She saw the man grab a grenade from his armor.

She raised her gun, trying to aim for the grenade, she fired….. There was no bullet, no sound. Her gun had been completely broken by the blast. The man cocked his hand back to throw the grenade in Shepard's room.

"No, it can't end like this," murmured Ashley, who was blacking out from the pain.

Suddenly, the man had flown away from Shepard's room, the grenade falling from his hand and rolling down the hall. It exploded next to him, killing him for good.

"I'm Garrus Vakarian and nobody kills my best friend in the hospital," said Garrus, who had appeared from behind the hospital desk holding a black widow sniper rifle.

Ashley had turned over, seeing Garrus approach her.

"Ashley, you're gonna be okay, just keep hanging in there," said Garrus.

Ashley blacked out.


	14. Chapter 14

Shepard had reappeared, looking around to see where he was now. Shepard appeared to be in an Alliance drop ship over The Atlantic Ocean. The ship was dark, only the artificial call lights were lighting the cabin. There were several metal chairs welded against the hull, each having a marine in training combat armor. The marines each were holding an avenger assault rifle, examining them to make sure they were functional.

Shepard looked at the child. "This is my N3 training, my advanced tactics and spec ops simulation," said Shepard. "It was a simulation of a real life black operative mission, each were to be given a special objective and 5 hours to complete it." "My mission was to find and neutralize an 'assassin,'" said Shepard looking at his younger self. "We all were dropped in different locations across Earth."

The intercom buzzed on, a man said, "Corporal Shepard, your drop point is in 30 seconds, prepare for the drop."

The younger Shepard got up and began to hook up his helmet. The younger Shepard was only around 20 years old, but started to retain the features of the current Shepard. His hair was still short, but was beginning to style his current hair. He had also grown in his goatee, something he would keep for the next ten years. Shepard was wearing an onyx styled armor, specially plated to create an aerodynamic flow and an "easy to remove" feel to it.

The back hatch had opened up, revealing a clear blue sky to the marines. The light had flashed green, revealing to go signal for Shepard. Shepard ran and leaped out of the back of the ship, parachuting his way down towards an island. Shepard deployed the chute, aiming towards the non-populated part of the island.

The current Shepard and the child appeared down on the island, awaiting the younger Shepard's landing. He eventually hit the ground, tumbling until he cut the cord, allowing the chute to fly safely into the trees. Shepard lost his rifle on the way down, something he knew would cause problems in his mission.

"Shit," said Shepard, "Now What?"

Shepard sat on the beach for a few moments, thinking about what to do. Shepard started to strip his armor of, revealing a set of casual Alliance clothes. He tossed the armor aside, leaving it on the beach. Shepard turned his Shirt inside out, as not to reveal his status as a trainee to the town. Shepard started to walk through the jungle and towards the town.

After some walking, Shepard managed to enter the town; he was located in large city near the coast. The city was composing of mid-21st century architecture, along with some older buildings. The town's population was consisting of many tourists, mostly human, but a few Asari and Salarians. The roads were relatively old, containing bikes and a couple of cars.

He tried to remember his original plan; he was to sneak through the outskirts of the town, in the jungle, to place known as Monty's Bar. He was to wait nearby until a man in red, bald and around the age of 50, left the bar. He then was to attack the man with his assault rifle, neutralizing him. Then await contact from The Villa. He realized that he obviously needed a new strategy.

Shepard decided to pursue an undercover angle. He would infiltrate the bar and take the man down; even if it was by himself. Shepard looked around at the various shops in the town. He noticed a smoke shop, a clothing shop, and finally a video shop. He decided to enter the clothing shop.

He came out wearing a pair of sunglasses and a hat. The hat had a logo of a puma on it, recently stitched into the hat. He began to walk down the street, noticing the people. They were often not very well off, wearing rugged clothing and carried some form of concealed weaponry. He walked past a group of tourists, looking for a certain restaurant. Shepard finally stopped at a nearby phone booth, looking for the address to Monty's bar.

After finding it, Shepard began to walk to the bar. He was approached by a man in a coat. The man asked, "Hey buddy, can I offer you some locally grown herbs? Some of the world's finest!"

"No." said Shepard, still walking to the bar and not making eye contact.

Eventually, Shepard came to the bar, a few minutes until he was supposed to actually arrive. He looked at the building. It had a glowing purple neon sign that said "Monty's Bar." The building was constructed from bricks, a material mainly used back in the late 20th century. A dog was tied outside the bar, sick and throwing up. The bar had several windows, all blocked by various ads for beer and local events. Shepard opened the metal door and entered into the bar.

The bar was filled with a dozen people, all enjoying a drink or watching the stripper near the back. The inside was wooden, giving the bar a rustic feel to it. The bartender was pouring a shot for one of the patrons. Music was played over the speakers, mainly to give the stripper something to dance to. Shepard scanned the bar for the man in red. He noticed only a single man, wearing a red T-shirt and jeans. He was sitting near the back end of the bar, enjoying a glass of beer and watching the show.

Shepard approached from behind, waiting to see if the man moved. Shepard knew he would have to somehow get the man outside the bar, knowing that he knew everything about Shepard.

"Excuse me," said Shepard, "I believe your… car is being towed outside."

"I don't have a car," said the man, still looking at the stripper, "Are you drunk or something?"

"Sorry, I guess I just had the wrong guy," said Shepard, "I just got in, and I thought the bar with the sick dog out front was the perfect place to go," sarcastically said Shepard as he ordered a beer.

"Charlie's sick? Aww Shit," said the man, who proceeded to rush outside to the dog. Shepard, not realizing how lucky he was, followed the man outside. Shepard turned towards the man, who was treating his sick dog. Shepard simple kicked the man in the side of his head, knocking him out cold.

"What the hell?" said a man who had appeared from behind a car. "Corporal, what are you doing outside your armor?" "Or better yet, why did you kick him in the face?"

"Sir," said Shepard, saluting his commanding officer, "The mission parameters changed; I simply took a different approach to the problem." "The assassin was stopped and nobody noticed me take him down."

"Well…" said the officer looking at the downed man, "You did offer an impressive ability to improvise, still managing to take down one of our N6s."

"He's an N6?" said Shepard, "What was he doing out here?"

"Shore leave," said the officer, "But Francis here, seemed to forget that there's no such thing as shore leave."

"Now let's get him back to base," said the officer, "Then continue with your training."

Shepard and the officer picked the man up, and then carried him towards a shuttle in the back alley. The current Shepard watched as the two took off in the shuttle. He walked towards the front of the bar, looking at the sign again.

"Hard to believe that he was an N6," said Shepard, "He thought he was going to get that well deserved break from all this, but instead was the victim of that same program." "I learned that I was never safe there, everyone did." "I guess that was supposed to teach us to be on our guard, always alert." "Instead, it only seemed to spark paranoia for everybody else," said Shepard.

The child walked up to Shepard again, looking at the same sign he was looking at. "Come," ordered the child, "We are going again."

"Okay," said Shepard. He looked at the newly formed doorway. "How much more?" Shepard thought, "How many memories that I've long forgotten must I wade through?" "How much pain is this worth?" "I'm lost in my mind, trapped in a sea of troubles." "I don't want to continue."

He thought of The Normandy crew. He pictured Joker and Chakwas. He saw Adams, Gabby, and Ken down in Engineering. He saw Liara, Garrus, and Tali. He thought of Ashley. He saw Ashley as he saw here last; wounded, carried by Liara and him to The Normandy. He decided to continue on, hoping to see her and hold her again.


	15. Chapter 15

Ashley woke up in pain. She appeared to be in a hospital bed. An IV tube hooked into her left wrist. She was heavily bandaged on her left leg; remember seeing the bone after the blast. She had several bandages on her stomach and chest. The TV had been turned on to The Alliance News Network, reporting on the latest Cerberus attack. There was a flower vase on the stand to her right.

She looked out the window to her right; London was once again ruins, Big Ben and Parliament completely destroyed. Alliance ships had been survey the damage done to the city, looking for any remaining hostiles. Cerberus forces had targeted all Alliance construction projects and hospitals. All the Cerberus forces were under orders to come back after the mission, or die during it. This helped ensure the secrecy of the remaining forces, as well as a mystery to their motives.

The door opened to reveal Doctor Chakwas; she stepped into the room. "Ashley, good to see you," she said to her. "We were worried about you; you took a pretty bad blow on your left ankle."

"Chakwas, how long was I out?" said Ashley.

"About 20 hours," said Chakwas, "Garrus carried you to an empty hospital room, and then went to find a doctor." "We managed to get the pieces of shrapnel out of your body and fix your leg, but it'll be a few weeks till you can walk again."

Ashley was disappointed to hear the news. She had been in the hospital too many times this past year. She remembered the agent on Mars that had left her on the brink of life, her own attempt on her life, and now another Cerberus agent.

"What about Shepard, he's okay?" asked Ashley.

"He's fine," said Chakwas, "Garrus managed to stop that man from reaching Shepard's room." "Shepard had had a recent jump in brain wave activity."

"Good, hopefully he'll be up soon," said Ashley, "Right?"

"I don't know Ashley, his mental activity is still very low, and we still are getting weird readings," said Chakwas, "Some of the doctors are suggesting that he's suffering from indoctrination."

"Impossible, The Reapers are dead!" Ashley exclaimed to Chakwas, "Shepard killed them; we watched them become lifeless corpses."

"Shepard has spent more time around Reaper technology than anyone else in the galaxy," said Chakwas, "I remember him suffering nightmares from the beacon on Eden Prime, nightmares from The Collector base, and Nightmares about Earth." "Only he knows what is going one right now."

Ashley grunted, trying to sit up to talk to Chakwas. Chakwas went to Ashley, trying to stop her.

"Ashley, you need your rest, don't get up," said Chakwas.

"Fine," said Ashley as she rested her head against her pillow.

Garrus stepped into the room, holding a vase of flowers. Joker followed Garrus into the room. Joker was in an electric wheel chair. He had his legs slightly elevated in braces, to hold them in place. He also had his SR2 hat on backwards, tapping his free hand on the chair. Chakwas left them alone, going to check on Shepard.

"Joker!" exclaimed Ashley, "What happened to you?"

"What, oh this," Joker said looking at the chair, "Funny story: I went to the main desk and told them I had Brittle Bones and my legs hurt a little." "The nurse went into the back and got this chair for me." "She strapped me in and told me to keep it for the next two weeks."

"Joker, you don't need that chair; you have a nice leather chair back on the Normandy," said Garrus looking at Ashley for support.

"Sure, it has a great feel to it, along with seat heat," said Joker, "But this has wheels… and leg braces!"

"Joker…" said Ashley, looking at him with a 'you know better' look at Joker.

"Fine, I'll return it," Joker said as he began to leave, "You're worse than Shepard and my mom put together!"

Garrus chuckled, "Ash, you doing okay?"

"Yeah, my leg hurts, but I'll survive," said Ashley.

"When I saw you down on the ground, you were losing a lot of blood," said Garrus, "You blacked out, I carried you to this room; I also bound your leg up to stop the bleeding."

"Thanks, you're a good friend Garrus," said Ashley, "I hope this doesn't leave scars on my ankle."

"Well, I've been told women love scars," said Garrus in a sly voice "Wait… I hope that wasn't offense or something; I know you are with Shepard, but I don't know how…you humans…"

"I'm going to stop you right there Garrus," said Ashley as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Uh… this is awkward," said Garrus, "Anyway, I don't think you should, they managed to repair your leg up."

"Garrus, its fine," said Ashley, "Something I'm wondering though, what were you doing on Earth anyways?"

"I was actually visiting Shepard and then Cerberus attacked," said Garrus, "I went to evacuate doctors and patients, and then went back for Shepard." "I saw you ordering that Cerberus officer to put his gun down." "I hid behind the desk in case you needed backup, which you did."

"I guess I've got an angel on my side," said Ashley, "an archangel…" Ashley smiled as Garrus simply looked at her.

"Clever," said Garrus. A man entered the room behind Garrus. "Oh, Admiral Hackett, it's good to see you."

"Good to see you too Garrus," said Hackett, "And you especially Williams; I heard you took a nasty blast from a C4 blast."

"Well it was hidden inside a gun," said Ashley.

"Really," said Hackett, "That's a risky move, something that would seem to backfire before needed." "Anyways; I came here to talk to you about the attack."

"I'll leave the two of you alone," said Garrus, "I'm gonna go check and see if Tali is done visiting Shepard."

"What do you need to know?" said Ashley, "I didn't see much during the attack."

"No, we have all the information we need, but we need to let you know what happened," stated Hackett.

"Hackett, are we looking at another coup attempt?" asked Ashley.

"Hard to say," said Hackett as he gazed out the window, looking at the rubble of London, "While the brunt of the attack was focused on The Parliamentary building and our Alliance bases, they seemed to only want destruction rather than capture." "However, we suspect they also wanted to dispose of Shepard."

"Well then we have to move Shepard," said Ashley, "Get him out of London."

"Commander," said Hackett, "Shepard is as safe here as anywhere else."

"No he's not; we need to move him immediately," begged Ashley, "Get him to another hospital and only let us know where he is."

Hackett responded, "That's unrealistic Williams, and you know it." "We can move him all we want, but someone is going to find him, either it is paparazzi or an assassin." "Besides, Cerberus is less of a threat than you think."

"How so?" said Williams, a demanding tone in her voice. Hackett looked at her and pulled out a data pad.

He handed it to her and then said, "This is all our data on Cerberus' remaining forces." "Cerberus, following the destruction of their main base and The Illusive Man's death, is basically a guerilla force." "They have extremely limited forces and funds, and most of the galaxy regards their presence with extreme urgency."

"Who orchestrated that attack?" asked Williams.

"Cerberus has, or rather had, three generals running the show after the destruction of their base," said Hackett as he pointed to the data pad, "The first one was named Claire Medford." "She joined up around the end of The Battle of The Citadel three years ago." "She focused on the recovery of Reaper Tech and implementation of that Tech with Cerberus Soldiers."

"So she was responsible for those implants within Cerberus Troops." Said Ashley as she recalled the husk face she saw on Mars.

"Somewhat, that was mainly done by The Illusive Man's desire to understand Reaper Technology," said Hackett, "After a year, she focused on increasing the agility of female soldiers, along with an increase of reaction time." "In short, she was the head of Cerberus' Phantom department, giving sword lessons to Kei Leng himself." "She disappeared from the radar a couple of months ago; we thought we killed her in a small research base discovered on Jupiter, but she briefly re-emerged to kill one our Rear Admirals on shore leave."

"Any leads on where we can find her?" asked Ashley, "Former homes, interests, or even a contact record?"

"No, only that she is currently working on a newer Phantom without Reaper Technology," said Hackett, "Also, she is currently romantically involved with another general, the most mysterious of the three." "We have no known name, only a serious of codenames," Hackett said as he put his hand against the wall, "He goes by Shadow, Phantom Wielder, or what he is mostly called, The Protégée."

"So he has a romantic connection to Medford and a thing for mystery," pondered Ashley aloud, "Is he known for his stealth, or his knowledge."

"He joined Cerberus right at the start of The Reaper War, earning his place after successfully finding a Salarian base on Sur'Kesh and organizing an attack on The Wards during Their coup attempt," said Hackett, "The Illusive Man began to teach him everything that was required to run a complex operation like Cerberus." "His location is known to be somewhere on Earth right now."

"So he is most likely the new leader now," Ashley extrapolated, "Knowing how to rebuild everything we attempted to destroy."

"Now he is, since Garrus killed their current leader," said Hackett, "The final general was named Matthew Franklin; he was their most experienced veteran." "He served alongside The Illusive Man when the organization split from The Alliance back after The First Contact War." "He was to be The Illusive Man's successor, inheriting an empire built on secrecy and power." "However, he got sloppy after The Reaper War; he wanted to rebuild that empire, but make it a dictatorship with him at the helm." "Inside sources said that he was dividing the organization with his ideas for the future."

"So he attacked London to grab power and destroy The Alliance," said Ashley, "That's not only sloppy, but a miscalculation of consequences and Alliance strengths."

"Exactly, that's why we are unsure of why he did it," said Hackett, "He never made a mistake like that before, and this wasn't the time to start." "However, his absence has now left Cerberus under The Protégée's leadership." "While Cerberus has fewer than 100 armed troops left, as far as we know, they are still somewhat a threat." "We need someone to end Cerberus once and for all, making sure Humanity's place in the future is peaceful, not violent."

"So, you want me to do it," asked Ashley.

"Exactly, you are The Second Human Spectre, the new commander of The Normandy," said Hackett, "You are one of the sole bonds of inter-species cooperation on a diplomatic level." "We can give you all the information we have on Cerberus, and the various governments can help you too."

"I'll kill Cerberus, and make sure it stays dead sir," said Ashley while saluting Hackett from her bed, "You can count on The Normandy."

"Good, I wouldn't expect as much from anyone else," said Hackett, "However, there is one last thing we need to discuss."

"What would that be sir?" asked Ashley.

"I received a report from one Doctor Samuel Johnson, a therapist under Alliance Command." "He forwarded a psychological report of you to me, personally."

"Really, and I assume that it didn't look good," Worried Ashley; her eyes had looked away from Hackett, trying to hide embarrassment. "Idiot," she thought to herself, "Why did you tell him all those things?"

"Williams… the report has put me in an awkward position," said Hackett, "On the one hand, I can ignore the direct breach of policy you and Shepard committed; this would lead to it being buried for now, but someone will dig it up." "There are people out there, people I talk to every day that would have liked nothing more than to have Shepard out of The Alliances Future."

Ashley had heard enough. "That's bullshit sir and you know it," Ashley scolded at Hackett, "He has sacrificed more than anyone else to stop The Reapers and create the peace we all share today!"

"I know Williams, but that doesn't slide for these people," said Hackett, "I can't count the number of reports wanting me to discharge Shepard for letting aliens on The Normandy." "Triple that for his involvement with Cerberus." "And it will be quadruple all those complaints if they ever find out about you and Shepard." "Personally, there is nothing that would make me happier than to have everyone turn a blind eye to you two, but that's not how politics work."

"Then don't listen to them," Ashley said, "Ignore them! They can't order you to do anything."

"They can't order me, but turning my back on procedure would lead them have me discharged," Hackett said, "The only other option would be for you two to stop all of this, but according to the report, that would be physically and mentally impossible."

"Shepard's a Spectre and so am I, we don't have to follow the Alliance's procedure," said Ashley.

"Sure, but you're working on an Alliance ship, with an Alliance crew, with Alliance equipment; we do have certain jurisdiction over what can happen to all of that," said Hackett, "I'm not going to force you to do anything, but just know; there will be some dire consequences to your actions." "Consequences that could make the two of you a media firestorm and PR nightmare."

Hackett looked at Williams, he raised his hand; saluting her, "Do whatever you need to stop Cerberus, but until then; I'll be in contact." Hackett turned and left the room.

Ashley simply sat there for a good ten minutes, thinking about what he had said. "Even after everything we've done; we still can't have peace together." "I don't want to sneak around everyone's backs, feeling like Shepard's mistress," thought Ashley, "I can see the headlines now, 'the first two human Spectres: engaged in physical intimacy' and 'Special Tactics and Recon-ass-ence'… oh god." Ashley's stomach had turned over, feeling sick about the future of their relationship.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: it's been a while since I've updated this story. The past few days have been filled with either work or Family events. However, I haven't forgotten about the story and hope to continue on with updates, hopefully faster than lately.

* * *

It was a cloudy day at The Villa. It had been cloudy the past two weeks. There had been a light rain that graced the complex. It had just stopped, leaving a layer of dew on the grass. Cries of the animals could be heard softly from the jungle. However, it was masked by the daily routine of the marines.

Shepard was inside one of the bigger buildings, looking out towards the jungle. He had just come from a session regarding the biology of the Asari body. The session consisted of several doctors dissecting a corpse they had received via the government. They had watched as a Doctor lectured some students on the body of an Asari, learning the positions of vital organs and how everything functioned.

Shepard was in a lobby, similar to that of a waiting room for a hospital. There were several wooden chairs lined with cushions for comfort. There were several televisions with The Alliance News Network playing. Medical students were walking throughout the room, checking patients into the hospital. The patients were mostly soldiers from the academy, but some were locals who had gotten sick or injured.

Shepard looked outwards towards The Villa. He watched several groups of marines running courses. They were running the same he had run before. They were charging up hills, crawling through muddy fields, and practicing Human-Turian combat situations. They were preparing for the worst, yet still prepared for the common black op mission. Shepard looked at himself; his shirt was partially torn on his left shoulder. The N4 on his shirt had been worn down, the top right of the 4 was almost gone.

"Shepard, you ready for shore leave?" asked Mason as he appeared from behind Shepard.

"Yeah, just looking at The Villa," said Shepard.

"Yeah… I'm not going to miss it," Mason said as he tugged at Shepard's shoulder.

"Me either, but it still is a hell of an operation, all these marines trying to be N7's."

"You know most don't make it past N1's right?" said Mason, "Our 'class' is only about 16 people right now, and about 7 of those are expected to flunk out before their N6 training."

"True, but then were put with all the N6's, and put in actual combat to determine our N7 verification," said Shepard.

The two had entered and elevator with several other students from the medical facility. One of them had headphones in his ear, reading a thesis written by a doctor from Harvard. Another was looking at a statistics chart on Turian Toxicology. They all were running on very low sleep, returning from their latest lecture.

The current Shepard looked at the students. "Glad I wasn't a doctor, couldn't handle all the memorization of numbers and Latin names for things." "Mordin would have loved it here; he would have amazed even the professionals here." Shepard's smile had started to fade, remembering what Mordin had done for him, and the rest of The Krogan.

The elevator opened to a lobby. The lobby contained several floras from tropical locations across the globe, all well maintained in the atmosphere of the dry hospital. The lobby contained two receptionist desks, the workers all relaying calls and pointing out locations to visitors. In the middle was a large marble fountain. It was hand carved to create a nostalgic feel of importance and extravagance. The entrance was a wall of glass; several glass doors located the entrance. Light would pour into room when sunny, but currently it was only showing the grey of the sky.

Shepard and Mason left the building. They walked along the cement path towards the shuttle yard of The Villa. They looked for the shuttle that would lead to Rio de Janeiro. The two boarded the ship; looking for a couple of empty seats next to one another. The ship was cozier than an Alliance shuttle, but still no first class flight. Shepard took a window seat near the back, Mason sitting next to him.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Shepard.

"Well, we could just act like the usual tourist, go to the beach and see a museum," said Mason sarcastically. He then pulled out two tickets, "Or we could go to Rio's hottest club: The Wave."

"The Wave?" asked Shepard.

"Yeah, I won them off another Marine in a game of poker," said Mason, "He said that it's the greatest place in Rio for booze and babes."

Shepard laughed, "If you say so; anyway, I'm just hoping that we don't end up being part of some test from The Villa."

"Like you couldn't handle it," said Mason, "You took down that N6 months ago, and you were only an N3!" "There's been like, only one other guy that's ever done that."

"True, but we still need to be on our guard," said Shepard.

"Whatever you say…" Mason said as he shut his eyes, "We'll get to Rio, tour the city a bit, and then head to the club."

* * *

The two had arrived to the outside of the club. It glowed of a neon blue that pierced the dark sky. The building had a unique architecture: A style of fluidity mixed with the outline of hexagon style plates. The line to try to get in was crowded. While dozens hoped that they could eventually get in; Shepard and Mason headed straight to the front to talk to the VIP guard.

"Hey," said Mason as he waved the tickets, "Me and my friend want to enjoy your establishment."

The guard took the passes and scanned them. "All right," he said, "You can enter, but you to meat heads cause any trouble and I'll kick your ass!"

The two walked into the building. Shepard looked at Mason and said, "Acting like a big shot today, are we Mason?"

"If you talk the talk and walk the walk, you can get just about anything out of these people," said Mason.

The two went through the electronic scanner of the club, then though two silver metallic doors. The club was playing loud techno music, along with several lights of purple and blue. The dance floor was packed with people, forming the cliché mosh pit. The bar was serving patrons who were socializing with each other. Strippers were walking around, flaunting their figure and providing entertainment for many.

"This is exactly my kind of place," said Mason as he looked at one of the strippers. "I'm going to go talk to one of those dancers, see if I can get myself some entertainment for the night."

Mason ran off, leaving Shepard alone at the club's entrance. "He's like a kid in a candy shop," said Shepard to himself, "if the candy were strippers." Shepard walked towards the bar, finding an open spot near the center. A bartender approached him.

"What can I get you?" the man behind the counter asked.

"Just a beer," said Shepard.

The Man handed an open bottle to Shepard. He took it and then took a sip from it, paying the bartender.

Shepard turned around and leaned back against the bar, looking at the crowd. They were all young people, just like him. However, the fuel of alcohol and drugs had graced them; something that could be considered a curse just as much as a blessing. Shepard watched couples dance with one another, even if the "dance" in question was simple grinding. Shepard was distracted by all the events going on within the club, but he wondered what Mason was doing.

"Whoops," said a woman as she bumped into Shepard at the bar. Shepard's beer had slightly spilled on his shirt. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

"Oh, it's no problem," said Shepard.

"Oh," nervously said the woman, "I didn't want to upset you; the last thing I wasn't is to start a fight or something."

"Trust me, I know the feeling," said Shepard, "So… you are?"

"…me?" asked the woman, Shepard nodded. "I'm Hannah, Hannah Thomas."

"Daniel, Daniel Shepard," said Shepard as he took another drink of his beer. "So, can I buy you a drink?"

"Sure," said the woman as she started to smile. Her hair was a dirty blonde; it was fashioned in a short, straight style. Her face was masked with eyeliner and lipstick, with the hint of some blush.

"Bartender, treat the lady to whatever she wants," said Shepard.

"I'll just take a margarita," said Hannah. The bartender handed it to her after making it, "Thanks." She took a sip.

"So Hannah, what brings you here?" asked Shepard.

"I'm currently enrolled at The University of California," said Hannah, "Its spring break and I got these tickets and brought a couple of my friends along, you?"

"Shore leave… the usual," said Shepard, trying to ignore the fact he was enrolled at The Villa.

"Oh, you're in the army?" said Hannah, "I guess that would explain the N4, and the muscles."

Shepard chuckled, "Yeah, I guess so." "So, what are you majoring in?"

"Psychology, I hope to be doctor someday," said Hannah, "I hope that doesn't scare you, I've met plenty of guys who are turned away by the whole therapist thing."

"No, you couldn't get in my head if you tried," joked Shepard. Hannah laughed as she finished of her martini.

"Looks like you're gonna need another drink," said Shepard.

* * *

It had been a couple of hours, but it felt like only a few minutes for Shepard and his new acquaintance Hannah. The two had finished off several drinks, making them both rather tipsy.

"So, Mason gets blasted back by the shockwave, we all thought that he was dead or something, but he hopped right up and yelled, 'Let's do that again!'"

Hannah laughed, "Oh my god, that's hilarious!" "Man, I'm getting late and I'm sick of this place; it's giving me a headache." "I better get back to my hotel… you want to…join me?" She emphasized the last part in a quiet and seductive voice.

A smile grew on Shepards face, realizing what was in store. "Sure, just lead the way." The two left the bar and headed out the door. Shepard had tomorrow off for shore leave as well, so he could enjoy the rest of tonight. They headed toward the exit, but Shepard noticed something to his left. It was Mason, who was now shirtless and surrounded by about 20 empty bottles of hard liquor. He was gambling with a couple of men who were down a lot to Mason. Mason also had a stripper sitting on his lap and another messaging his back. Shepard chuckled quietly.

The current Shepard turned towards the child, "The guy in the leather coat was an N5; he was sent to find Mason and 'neutralize' him." "However, he underestimated Mason's temper and tried to fight him fist-to-fist." "He ended up sustain a broken nose and fractured skull, all thanks to Mason."

The past Shepard and Hannah had exited the bar, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. The two went past by the long line to enter the club. A young man jumped out of the line behind Shepard. He held a stun gun to the back of Shepard's head, hoping to accomplish his mission that The Villa had sent him on. However, Shepard saw out of the back of his eye the man looking at him.

Shepard tripped the man by kicking his leg backwards to at the man, and then he yelled, "Gun!" The guards looked as the man fell to the ground, dropping his gun next to him.

"Stop!" yelled a guard as he tackled the man, then put him in a headlock, slowly bringing him to unconsciousness. Shepard and Hannah had turned around to witness what Shepard had caused.

"Oh my god," said Hannah, "How did you…"

"Marine training, you know?" said Shepard as he lead Hannah away from the scene. The two boarded a bus a couple of blocks away from the club. They stood next to each other as the bus reached the hotel, a thirty minute journey on the cramped and crowded bus. They exited a nice hotel constructed for the tourists.

It was located at the coast, providing the tourists with beach front to the beautiful coastline. The hotel was full of rowdy college students, all enjoying their spring break. Hannah's room was located on the fourth floor of the five story building. They took the elevator upstairs, sharing it with another couple who were making out against the wall.

Shepard and Hannah reached her room; she used her Omni-too to enter her room key and open the door. The room contained a plasma screen television and two queen sized beds. It had a connected bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink. A suitcase was at the end of each bed, along with some of their clothes.

"So, my friend is spending the night in her boyfriend's room, so we have the place to ourselves," said Hannah. She then pulled of her top, revealing her bare chest to Shepard.

Shepard walked towards her and began to kiss her. Their tongues interchanged with one another as they both got undresses. Shepard threw of his boxers and pushed himself on top of Hannah.

The current Shepard had left the room, not really wanting to see himself having sex.

* * *

It was morning, and Shepard and Hannah had only gotten two hours of sleep. They had been up all night getting physical with one another. They laid in bed, both exhausted from their antics.

"Good morning," said Hannah as she got up from the bed.

"Good morning," Said Shepard as he admired her butt as she bent over to pick up her things.

"I guess you're gonna have to be getting back to your barracks now," said Hannah,

"Actually I have the whole day free," said Shepard, "So we can do whatever you want."

"Oh," said Hannah, "I guess you can spend the day with me and my friends." "Having a nice marine boy-toy should make them slightly jealous." "Especially a hot piece of ass like yourself." She piled her clothes in a corner. "I'm gonna go take a shower, care to join?"

Shepard smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

The current Shepard had been listening to their conversation, looking out the window at the beach the entire time. "I had forgotten all about Hannah, she was kind of my first girlfriend out of high school." "However, we really only stayed together for a month or so; the whole long-distance relationship not really working out for the two of us." "However, she did make me feel the first ounce of bliss I had felt since The Villa."

The hotel room had faded to a white again, another doorway of light appearing where the room's door had once been. Shepard turned around, seeing the child again. "How much more of this?" asked Shepard.

"There is still much you must learn before your inner conflict can be resolved," said the child before entering the doorway. Shepard followed once again, not knowing what to expect.


	17. Chapter 17

*1 month later*

Ashley was in her cabin aboard The Normandy. She had been sleeping at the desk in front of the model ship case. She was exhausted from everything that had happened over the past month.

She had stayed in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Her lower leg had sustained a lot of damage after the explosion. There were two options, she could stay in a wheel chair until flesh could be grafted on and repaired in about two months; or she could have a cybernetic implant to replace both of her ankles. Both were needed to ensure that they could provide equal balance for her entire body. She got the implants to quickly heal so she could track down Cerberus.

She had gone through physical therapy sessions, learning to use her implants. They allowed for quicker speed and power in her leg movement. They were a tan, attempting to blend in with the human skin. However, the hardness of metal along with their mechanical outlines made them apparently cybernetic when viable.

She had returned to The Normandy after leaving the hospital. Hackett, along with every alien government available, sent her all of their files on Cerberus. She had gone over every piece over and over again. She read about The Protégé and Claire Medford, learning their entire history and personality. She tried to predict possible targets and locations for bases, none of them proving fruitful.

Ashley opened her eyes slightly; the glare of the aquarium's light piercing her eyes. She shut her eyes again, hoping to forget everything that had happened. "God…. I wish I could just live in peace," she thought. She remembered the attack on London and that man trying to kill Shepard, it had haunted her dreams. There would be nothing more she would like than to get some pay back at them.

She lifted her head, looking around at the room. There were various data pads scattered on the desks and the bed. She had put up posters of Cerberus data around the room, covering half of the room's walls. There were two empty coffee pots by the computer, and several empty cups. She looked at the computer screen; it was currently on a screensaver. She touched it, jumping back to the most recent report on Cerberus by Diana Allers.

She got out of her chair, her back aching from sleeping in an upright position. She went down and opened up the mini fridge under the small table. It was empty, except for a big bottle of spring water. She took it and drunk what remained in it. She tossed the bottle on the couch, looking at one of the charts.

"I need a shower," she thought, "I stink." She unzipped her jacket, tossing it on the bed. She took of her gloves, boots, and socks. She felt the cold metal floor with her feet and let her hands breath. She removed her alliance under shirt, and then unbuckled her belt, allowing her to remove her pants. She stepped out of her pants, standing in her bra and panties.

She walked into the bathroom and then walked towards the mirror. She looked at her face; her eyes had bags under them and her face was somewhat pale. She removed her bra and her panties and turned towards the shower. She started the water, feeling for the right temperature before stepping in. She let the water flow down her body, rinsing all the sweat and grime off of her. She took the bar of soap and lathered her body up. She covered her chest and backside with soap, and then went down towards her legs. She was soaping them, but stopped when reaching her implants. She dropped the soap, feeling the metallic structure of her ankles. She still had trouble getting over the fact that she had replaced her ankles with technology. She felt the artificial curves and grooves in her ankles. She suddenly had gotten goose bumps, and jolted upward.

She washed the soap off and washed her hair in the process. She turned the shower off, stepping out to grab a towel. She dried herself off, looking at herself in the mirror. "Damn, I look great," she thought, "Shepard is gonna go crazy once he wakes up." She grabbed her tooth brush and brushed her teeth. She applied deodorant and wrapped the towel around her body. She stepped outside, feeling the cool air on her freshly cleaned face.

She walked over to her dresser, opening it to see what was inside. "Hmmmm… Think I'll wear the usual grunt clothes." She pulled out the official Alliance Uniform. She put on a fresh pair of underwear and then the clothes. She decided to also put her hair into a bun, something she hadn't done in a long time. She went back to her desk, turning the computer back on. She noticed that she had an unread email in her inbox. She opened her email up to see what the email was. "Probably just some more Cerberus data," she thought looking at the room, "like I don't have enough."

To: Ashley.

From: AllianceCitadelRescuers

Dear, Commander Williams

We are pleased to inform you that a group of Turian Hierarchy Responders have found members of your family on The Citadel. You can visit them in the refugee camp at D-247. They are currently under the supervision of Alliance personnel and medical attention. While none of them are injured, they asked to speak to you as soon as possible.

Best Wishes,

Alliance Government

Ashley had the biggest smile on her face that she could remember. It had been months since the explosion of The Citadel. She had hoped for news about them for months, checking survivor lists every day. She had almost given up hope, but something inside of her told her they were alive, and she now had proof.

She leaped out of here chair, rushing out of the room to the elevator. She hit the button to the CIC. She couldn't wait to share the news to Joker, personally. The elevator was taking forever, "Come On!" she thought, "Why in the hell does every elevator in this entire Goddamn Galaxy moves so slowly!" The doors finally opened.

The Combat Deck was busy as usually, helping to organize rebuilding efforts and transportation of civilians. The Normandy was currently over Thessia, helping to recover trapped Civilians from the capital. She rushed past the crew members, looking at what they all were doing. She opened the door to the cockpit and walked towards Joker. Joker was having a conversation with Liara over the radio.

"Liara, we've picked up those civilians trapped in that Library," said Joker, "We are heading back to the refugee shelter right now."

"Good, nice to see that those historians made it out of The Reaper's invasion," said Liara, "We need all the experts we can to rebuild."

Joker said, "Yeah, we can relate." Ashley walked up to Joker, "Hey Commander, nice to see that you're up."

"Joker; I just got word that my family is on The Citadel, alive," said Ashley.

"Really, that's great Commander," said Joker, "Liara, we have to get going."

"I understand, just drop of those people at the camp then get going," said Liara, "So they're all okay Ash?"

"Yeah," Ashley said in a breathless voice, "They are."

* * *

The Normandy jumped through the Sol Relay, landing back at its home system. They flew past Pluto and a couple of Alliance Ships. They eventually arrived at Earth, The Citadel still hovering over London. The station was still in disarray, pieces still floating and chunks missing. The entire council tower was missing and The Presidium was mostly destroyed. Three of the two wards were floating by themselves around Earth.

Most of the activities centered on The Citadel were still search and rescue, but the damage was so extensive, not much could be done on a large scale. Most of the races were more concerned about their own Planets and The Relays, devoting some to The Citadel. This meant that The Council's power was limited to their jurisdictions, and most diplomacy was still based on Shepard's army to defeat The Reapers. However, plans were to still restore The Council, each race having a representative.

The Normandy flew towards one of The Wards, tracing a path in the light black smog that surrounded the station.

"God, remember when we first visited this place with Shepard?" asked Ashley to Joker, "It was so peaceful and beautiful."

"Yeah, hard to believe that was only three years ago," said Joker, "Things have certainly changed from back then."

"This is Alliance docking protocol, please respond SR2 Normandy," said a woman over the radio.

"This is the Normandy; our Commander is here to visit her family," said Joker, "They're in D-247, were sending her down in a shuttle." "We are free to help with anything you need us to do."

"Okay, she can stop by at any time," said the Woman, "We also need some debris moved from The Presidium so The Volus Ambassador can find some of his workers. "

"Okay, we can do that," said Joker. "Okay Ashley, go find them; we'll be there."

"Thanks Joker," she said as she ran to the shuttles.

* * *

The shuttle docked at the shuttle bay located just above D-247. She had been sitting in shuttle, thinking to herself in silence. "God, thank so much," she thought, "I knew that they were out there, and that you would protect them." When she realized the shuttle had stopped, she stepped out of the shuttle before it took off. She walked towards the elevator and took it down one floor.

When the door opened, it revealed a makeshift refugee camp. There were beds spread throughout the floor, along with several doctors and Alliance workers. Refugees were trying to contact their family and helping the workers. Ashley walked around the room trying to find her family.

"Ashley!" cried out a woman. Ashley turned to see Sarah rushing towards her. "Ashley!"

"Sarah," gasped Ashley; Sarah rushed into her arms. She began to cry into Ashley's shoulder, tears running down Ashley's eyes as well. "It's okay, we're all okay."

"I know, but still," said Sarah between her tears. "We couldn't get a hold of you, and thought you were gone."

Ashley's mother and her other sister, Lynn, ran over to the two. The Williams family was officially reunited; all of them clearly crying. Ashley ran over to Lynn and hugged her and never wanted to let go. Ashley then hugged her mother, crying into her shoulder like when she was little.

"Mom," cried Ashley, "I missed you so much."

"Shhh," said Mrs. Williams in a motherly voice, "We're here…"

"Where's Abby?" asked Ashley, still wiping the tears away from her face.

Sarah began to weep again. Ashley's stomach began to curl up in knots.

"Where is she?" Ashley demanded, "What happened," she sternly asked, tears still forming in her eyes.

"They….. Took her," said Mrs. Williams; starting to remember what had happened.

"What happened?" asked Ashley.

"It all started after The Reapers took over The Citadel," said Lynn, "We took shelter along with the others unable to escape the station." "We took shelter in a building that was primarily abandoned, along with about thirty other people." Lynn struggled to recall the events, "We watched as The Citadel moved over Earth."

"Oh my god," said Ashley, "That must have been horrible."

"Yeah, it was," said Sarah.

"Anyway, we watched as The Citadel was closed, but eventually reopened," said Lynn, "We saw the battle going on and The Crucible dock at The Citadel." "Then, everything went red, and we were bombarded by shockwaves and explosions." "We were all okay, but the entire block and a half was cut off from the rest of the station." "We knew we needed food and water, so some of us set off to find it."

"Abby was a part of that team," said Mrs. Williams, "She brought us some blankets and pillows." "She watched out for us, but didn't watch out for herself."

"So, what happened then?" asked Ashley.

"She was out trying to contact rescuers; she had wandered off from the group," said Sarah, "She was trying to find a radio signal." "The group said they heard a struggle." "They ran over to where they heard her; they saw two Batarian men taking her into a shuttle."

"Batarian… were they slaver?" asked Ashley, "Who were they."

"We don't know," said Lynn, "They took her before anyone could stop them." "However, one of them managed to get a snap shot of the two."

The photo was transferred to Ashley's Omni-tool, quickly pulling it up. She looked at the photo in horror; the two were restraining Abby's arms and dragging her away. One of them had a helmet on; the other didn't have a helmet, and a clear tattoo covering half of his face. They both were wearing armor, a clear logo displayed on the chest and shoulder plates.

"The logo," said Ashley, "I don't know what organization that is, but I bet someone in The Alliance could tell me." She looked at her family, "I'll find them; I promise you I'll bring her back." Ashley turned away, but Sarah stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.

"Ashley, please be careful," said Sarah who was lightly crying. "I just want us to be safe."

"We will," said Ashley. She thought about everything that she needed to tell them; her suicide attempt, her new implants, and Shepard's status. However, there was no time for that, no rest for the weary. She turned around to Sarah and hugged her, "I promise kiddo, we'll all be fine."

Ashley walked away from her family, needing to make them whole again.


	18. Chapter 18

Shepard and Mason were sitting by each other at a table. They were in a small classroom, a projector overhead. They had been listening to a 3 hours lecture on interstellar political ties. It was told by a renowned professor from the famous Cambridge University. They had listened to the equivalent of an entire month of political science unit. Shepard looked at Mason, who was almost asleep from the lecture. Shepard punched him in the arm, jolting Mason awake.

"And that would conclude the economic trade ties of The Hanar and The Elcor," said the professor. "That also concludes the lecture for today." "You can review all of this on the handouts I gave you on your data pads." "This will be included on your written test for the N6 qualification examination," said The Professor as he turned towards the door to leave. "Class is dismissed."

"Hallelujah!" exclaimed Mason sarcastically, "I thought that would never end." "That guy has the personality of an Elcor," said Mason to Shepard.

"Yeah, but we do actually need to know this," said Shepard, "Even if we never actually have to know Credit system for The Council Species in full detail."

"We could use this info to bore the enemy to sleep," said Mason.

Shepard chuckled at the idea. The two exited the classroom and were in a small carpeted hallway with blue walls. They were in a small college like setting, used to teach Soldiers detailed information about enemies, politics, and alien history. Knowledge was just as important as strength, allowing soldiers to become high class citizens on the galactic scene.

Shepard and Mason walked out of the building, revealing the clear sky and freshly trimmed grass of The Villa. It was around noon, and the soldiers were all hungry. It was rare to be able to eat a sit down meal in the cafeteria, more so for higher class marines. However, today was one of those days for Shepard and Mason. They were N5 marines, not haven eat a well cooked meal for 4 months.

They walked down the smoothly paved sidewalk. They approached a smaller building, elegant in design and well maintained compared to the other buildings. The doors were black with a gold colored handle. As they entered the building, they were greeted by a couple of other marines.

"Shepard! Mason! You guys enjoy the lecture?" remarked one of the marines.

"Yeah, more than my last dentist appointment," said Mason.

The two entered a buffet room. It was similar to that of a high school cafeteria, but the food was a higher quality. The lunch program was used as a source of revenue, allowing college students pursuing culinary careers to learn there. They served foreign dishes all over the world and they were all cooked for the marines immediately. Shepard and Mason ordered there meals to one of the chefs.

Shepard, "I just take a nice bowl of Ramen."

Mason, "and I'll take some spaghetti and meatballs."

The chef took their order and the two waited. "These meals really are a treat, aren't they?" said Shepard.

"Yeah, tends to be why we only eat here twice a year or so," said Mason.

"Well; you get in here if you're a N3 or up, and they don't want to make us get used to the 'fancy' lifestyle," said Shepard.

"Order up," said the chef as he brought the two their food, "Enjoy."

The two went into the cafeteria, only a few marines were ever in here at a time. Shepard and Mason sat next to a few other marines. They had just gotten done with the lecture too, and were trying to prepare for the close quarter combat training they had next.

"Chow time," said Mason as he took a big bite of the pasta.

"So," said one of the marines, "you guys ready for your N6 examinations next week?"

Another marine responded, "Relax Thompson, you really can't prepare for the examinations."

Thompson said, "Well, we can study for the written portion, which is one-third of our score." "Then, we take our physical examination, which consists of one of the most brutal physical course that is available here."

"Man, you really buy into that mantra here, don't ya?" said Mason.

"Hey, I'm not the most gifted marine here," said Thompson, "Oh wait, neither of you Mason," he said as he turned his look towards Shepard.

"Oh gee," said Shepard, "You're gonna make me blush."

"Anyways, that's only two thirds of the test," said Thompson, "That last third, nobody knows what it'll be." "I've asked around, but nobody is willing to tell me."

Just then, the head of The Villa walked into the walked into the room. He was known only as Jacob, and only appeared in front of the marines on special occasions. He was a general within The Alliance, so he outranked all of the staff. The marines stopped eating, all of them standing up and saluting him.

"At ease," he said as he saluted them back.

"So, how are all the class' N5s doing?" "All of you getting ready to officially become N6s and hopefully N7s?"

The marines responded with hoots and hollered obscenities into the air.

"Okay," said Jacob, "Nice to see you're all confident, but these tests… have no mercy."

"I think we all can handle it," said Mason, "Were some of the best soldiers in the world."

"True, but if there's anybody who's gonna succeed no matter what, it's Shepard," said Jacob. Shepard turned his head towards Jacob. "Ah Shepard…Daniel… why does everybody call you Shepard?"

"I…I don't know, just what I'm known as," said Shepard.

"Well, Shepard has a certain aura to it!" said Jacob as he put his hand on Shepard's soldier. "It makes you a shepherd, watching over his flock day and night," Jacob said as he signified the rest of the marines. "You've got the best squad leadership scores I've ever seen." "You've broken most of our records, the ones remaining set by one of our most honored students.

"Who would that be?" asked Thompson.

"David Anderson," said Jacob, "Man was one of the first N7s." "He went on to become a Captain on the Everest." "Word is he might be in line for a brand new leadership role for a newer ship." "However, he has gone on countless missions and saved many lives." "You guys have only been on a few, and most of them very… mind-numbingly boring."

Shepard knew that to be true. He had led several squads on small investigative responses, but all of them very calm. They had all hoped for pirate raids or red sand tracking; however, they all ended up reporting electrical problems or test signals. They had responded to a distress call and saved a group of humans, but that was only because their ship's engine broke.

"So, we need to get more missions under our belt to become N7s…right?" asked Shepard.

"Yes, we train you to be N6s or lower, and then send you out to the world to make a difference," said Jacob, "Most of you will lead squads of your own, but we are looking for new trainers here in The Villa." "It is good pay and has a lot of job security, but perhaps not the most audacious job you joined the marines for." Jacob looked down at his watch, "Well, looks like you're almost done with lunch." "Also, could I offer any of you a complimentary desert?"

The marines quickly responded with immediate denial to the question; all of them remember their thanksgiving nightmare he had forced on them. They remembered the cramps of their stomachs and havoc it reaped on the plumbing.

"Well, if you all insist, I'm sure some of the newbies would enjoy it," said Jacob, "Oh, and Shepard; I would like to see you in my office after lunch." Jacob then turned and walked out the door.

"Shepard, looks like you're gonna be getting some special treatment around here now!" exclaimed one of the marines. The rest began to laugh at the comment. "Just be careful, don't hit your head on his desk."

Shepard punched the marine in the arm. "I'm sure it's nothing like that," said Shepard, "It's either an invitation of some kind, or a trap."

Lunch was over and the marines began to leave the lunchroom. Shepard left the cafeteria, headed for the main complex building. He was walking along the stone path when he heard a terrible sound. It was a blood curdling scream that could create goose bumps instantly. Shepard immediately ran towards the source.

He had reached a large field, mainly used for jogging across and some combat simulating. He saw a large puddle of mud, perhaps quicksand of sorts. A hand was extending forth from the pit, grasping for something to grab onto. Shepard ran towards the puddle, reaching for the man's hand. He grabbed it without entering the pit, pulling with all his might. Suddenly, the arm jerked loose from the mud, showing that it was only a robotic hand that was grasping due to its programming.

"What the…" said Shepard.

Suddenly, Shepard felt an immediate pain in his neck. He reached up and felt a large dart stuck in it. He yanked it out, looking at its design. It appeared to be used by a tranquilizer gun, one he had used before. He noticed that it was halfway filled with a clear liquid, most likely the form of liquid drug used in those darts. Shepard was with a couple more in the side. His vision began to blur, but he still was standing up. He felt several more darts hit him, forcing him to his knees. Shepard's eyes slammed shut, losing all consciousness.

* * *

Shepard woke up in a dark room. He was sitting in a metallic chair. He had felt like he had just woken up from a night of drinking. His uniform was stained with mud and what appeared to be oil; several holes were present in it. His legs and arms were restrained by leather bracers, tightly held by a couple of roles of barb wire tied around the bracers. He was slightly bleeding from his left cheek; a small cut somehow was on it.

The lights above him flickered on, lighting the room he was in. He appeared to be in a small wooden shack, only a couple of light bulbs above him lit the room. There were no windows, only a small camera was in a corner above him to his right. There was a door behind him, along with a small body mirror. The chair was in the middle of the room, stains of blood surrounding him on the floor.

The door behind him opened and a large Krogan stepping out of the door. He walked up to Shepard, his feet making the floor creak. He walked right behind Shepard, breathing warm air right on his neck. He laughed and then head bumped Shepard in the back of his head. It felt like he had just gotten hit by a large rock, shaking him out of his drowsy shape.

The Krogan walked and face Shepard. He then said, "Looks like our little human boy is up."

"Where am I?" asked Shepard.

"That's not important, but what is important, that you tell us everything," said the Krogan.

"What do you what from me?" said Shepard, "I'm just a simple marine, not some leading officer or Admiral."

"Bullshit," said the Krogan, "You're 1st Lieutenant Shepard, a N5 marine." "That's one of your military's highest ranks for you ground fodder." "However, we know that you know information."

"Like what?" said Shepard, "The menu at the cafeteria?"

"No!" screamed the Krogan as he started to choke Shepard, "Like the location of troop bases, the defenses of your forces!" "Tell us."

"No, I won't," said Shepard, "Because this isn't real."

"What?" said the Krogan as he removed his hands," How could this not be real?"

"Firstly, how did you get inside one of the most secured areas of earth and kidnap a soldier?"

The Krogan simply laughed, "You underestimate the stealth of alien species Shepard." "We Krogan may not be stealthy, but a team of Asari and Salarians can easily infiltrate bases."

"Doubtful, but not the only compelling evidences against your claim," said Shepard, "Your guns, the ones that knocked me out, they're ours." "They're the same alliance grade darts that I used in our training all the time, explain that!"

"You honestly think that the Alliance is the only military that uses these darts and guns," said the Krogan. "Your so naïve, your Alliance is new and you marines prove it."

"Fine, but I still think this is just another test," said Shepard, "And you aren't getting a single word out of me."

The Krogan began to choke Shepard, shaking his body as well. "Tell me what you know!" said the Krogan. He stopped choking Shepard and went to the other side of the room. He breathed in then yelled out in fury. He charged at Shepard, his head pointed down at his body. He hit Shepard square in the gut, knocking Shepard straight out of the chair. Blood shot out of Shepard's mouth, his ribs somehow surviving the blow to them. He hit the wall at the back of the room, sliding down it with the Krogan still holding Shepard.

"Ready to talk now?" asked the Krogan, "Or do I still need to punish you some more?"

Shepards pit out the last of the blood in his mouth, and then simply said, "Never."

"Excellent, truly excellent!" a voice said from out of nowhere.

The door reopened and Jacob stepped out of it. "Great Shepard, just the true showing of what a marine should look like."

"I knew it," groggily said Shepard.

"Yes, you did and you still didn't chicken out and just told him what he knew!" said Jacob. "You truly are one of the most gifted marines I've ever seen." The Krogan helped Shepard to his feet, who was clutching his ribs which were certainly broken.

"Anyway, Shepard, there's someone I'd like you to meet," said Jacob as another man walked out of the door. "Shepard, I'd like you to meet Captain David Anderson."

"It's an honor sir," said Shepard as he tried to salute him, but still was in pain.

"Likewise; I here you've been breaking all of my records and challenge my status here," said Anderson

"Well, you were one of the first, and someone was destined to come along and challenge you," said Shepard.

"True, but glad it's you and not some hotshot egotistical marine," said Anderson.

"David, I know that you've been working on that project with The Alliance for that new ship, and I'd think Shepard would make an excellent XO," said Jacob.

"Sure, he could command the thing pretty well on his own, but age before wisdom I suppose," said David.

"Yeah," said Shepard, "Sir, can I go to a hospital or something? I got my tests coming up and… I'm gonna need all my strength."

"Well; we can send you to the hospital, then pump you full of painkillers, you'll still beat all of your little buddies in the physical and mental though," said Jacob. "David, take Shepard to the hospital, you can bond with your new XO."

* * *

Shepard and Anderson were walking down a beaten path through the forest. The cabin they were in was about half a mile from The Villa. Jacob felt that they would bond better by taking a little walk to the hospital rather than flying to it. Anderson was carrying Shepard with his shoulder locked with his own. They had gotten a steady pace and were close to the hospital.

"So, Shepard, you got any family?" asked Anderson, "Parents, spouse, kids?"

"No," said Shepard, "No parents and no family of my own really." "I got a couple of distant cousins, but that's it."

"What happened?" asked Anderson, "you on bad terms with them?"

"No, they're….all dead," said Shepard, "Pirate raid on my home Mindoir." "Most of my family lived somewhere on the colony and I'm one of the few survivors."

"Sorry," said Anderson, "I didn't mean to bring that up; I heard about Mindoir, it was pretty bad from what I heard."

"Yeah," said Shepard trying to block out the memory, "What about you?"

"Yeah, I got some family, but nothing really close," said Anderson, "I'm divorced, not on the best of terms."

"I have a question, what's this new ship that you and Jacob were talking about?" asked Shepard.

"That would be the new Human-Turian designed stealth ship," said Anderson. "It's an innovation in stealth technology and I'm going to command it." "It'll be used as a top-secret Alliance drop ship for high risk missions and such."

"Well, sounds like it'll take us on some adventures," said Shepard.

"Hopefully not," said Anderson, "I really doubt we'll be flying around the galaxy and solving all its problems." "However, it'll be a lot of action."

The two arrived out of the jungle and at The Villa. They limped their way towards the hospital, which was now clearly in there sight.

The current Shepard, still watching the events of his life unfold. "That was the first real conversation I ever had with Anderson." "He really was a true friend and a father to me."

"You loved him like he was family," said the child.

"Yeah," said Shepard as tears formed in his eyes, "But it was too late to let him know that now." Anderson's dying words entering his mind

"I'm proud of you," the words echoed in his mind.

The doorway of light appeared in front of him again. The child walked towards it, turning back towards Shepard again.

"Come, you now must face another moment that would forever define you," said the child, "We must go to the desert of it."

Shepard knew what the cryptic metaphor was, and he knew what faced him. Shepard walked towards the door. He knew that death was once again at his door.

"Death…Death closes all," he thought as he entered the door.


	19. Chapter 19

*1 Month Later*

Ashley was in a large forest. The trees hung overhead like giant pillars of wood. A soft breeze blew through the trees and caressed Ashley's face. The day was cloudy and the sun wasn't visible. She was dressed in her Alliance casuals, her boots covered in mud. Various rocks and shrubs lined the forest floor.

She suddenly heard a cry in the distance. This cry would be familiar to anyone if they heard it. "That's a baby," Ashley thought. Ashley began walking towards the sound. She didn't know where she was, or how far she was from society, but knew she was somehow there.

The cry began to get gradually louder, growing in succession to one another. Ashley had been moving faster and faster, trying to find the baby that she heard. She eventually came to a clearing in the woods, the clouds getting darker as she approached it. She exited the woods, overlooking a familiar site from atop the hill she was apparently on.

"That's… the beam that was on Earth!" she exclaimed.

She looked and saw that soldiers were now running out of the woods and down into the beam, hoping to reach it. She still heard the cry, knowing that the source of the cry was from the beam itself. She felt compelled to make it stop, each wail piercing her soul. She took a couple steps, hesitant to make the next one; until she decided to simply run.

She was about half way to the beam, Makos and gunships appearing next to her as she continued to charge. Suddenly, the beam began to collapse and disappear from sight. Giant beams began to incinerate everyone next to her. A Mako flew over her head and took down a couple of gunships. She looked upward, seeing a Reaper begin to descend to the ground. She suddenly was hit by a burst of light, everything going white and her body becoming limp.

She woke up in a giant clearing, no trace of buildings or any other person. She slowly got up, noticing that she was completely naked. The ground was an endless plane of small rocks, extending until it hit the stormy sky. The clouds were ominously black with lightning tracing the recesses of the sky. Ashley began to walk forward, not knowing where she was going.

Suddenly, six lights of pure yellow appeared in the middle of the sky. Two were right next to each other, similar to eyes; however, the other four were arranged in an upward half circle under the two. The body of a Reaper began to fade into view along with the lights. Ashley stopped walking, simply looking up at the machine.

The Reaper began to fire beams past Ashley, only hitting her with the debris from the ground it stirred up. She walked towards the Reaper, seeing a figure right under it. She looked and gasped at the figure she saw.

"Shepard?" she asked softly, "Shepard!" She began to run towards him, her legs getting heavier and heavier the closer she got. Shepard began to sway in place, his smile disappearing from her view. His skin began to melt of his body. When she finally reached him, only a skeleton was left. It collapsed at her feet; she immediately fell down with it.

"Shepard?" asked Ashley softly, "Shepard…." Bees began to fly out of his eye sockets a mouth, hitting Ashley as hard as possible. They crawled over her naked body, covering everything up to her face. The bees didn't sting her, but only crawled across her. She wanted to scream, but was unable to as much as she tried. The bees began to crawl up her face, forcing her mouth open. A couple of bees began to crawl into her nose and ears, but mainly began to crawl into her mouth and down her throat. Her eyes were covered, with the bees.

Then, just as the only feeling that was present was the tiny legs of the insects on her skin, they began to sting. They seemed to all sting in unison, piercing every inch of her body. Her entire body jerked upward, the pain hurting her so much. Her eyes were closed, but the stingers of the bees broke her eyelids and pierced her eyes, forcing them open.

* * *

Ashley screamed as loud as she could, the sound of her voice filling the room. She fell out of her bed, hitting the hard metal floor. She was brushing her arms, despite the lack of anything on them. It took her a few minutes until she could calm down. She was breathing heavily; sweat pouring off of her body. She got up, still uneasy from the experience, and then headed towards the bathroom.

She walked towards the mirror, looking at her face after splashing it a couple of times with cold water. It had been a month since she learned of her sister disappearance and sixth months since the end of The Reapers War. She looked at a digital clock in the bathroom, which was set to Central Standard Time. It read 5:42 AM, May 23rd 2187. The war had ended in November, just before winter would grace the Northern Hemisphere, but Earth's climate was too broken to provide snow or rain.

Ashley had just celebrated her 29th Birthday just about a month earlier. She didn't have a huge party of any sorts, but her family did give her a nice call. Shepard too had celebrated his birthday, just three days before Ashley's. Shepard was still in a coma, but the crew delivered him various gifts and balloons and proceeded to eat a cake in his honor. Shepard's mental activity was still reading very high, but his overall readings were very abnormal.

Shepard's hair had grown very long and was similar to the shorter hair a girl would have. His beard had grown out into long, scraggily, beard. His scars had healed and his new limbs had been fully integrated. Shepard's muscles had begun to disappear, leaving a very pale and skinny man on life support. Ashley had read Shepard several books of poetry and was reading classic novels to him now. She was about half way through Moby Dick, hoping that everything she did was getting through to him.

She had been thinking about all of this, hoping to calm down from that nightmare she had just experienced. She realized that she was taking a shower, blanking out after looking at the clock. Ashley stepped out of the shower, proceeding to brush her teeth. She hurried to get dressed, knowing that she needed to find her sister.

She was dressed in her Spectre outfit, the jacket and pants a cherry red and a large Spectre logo on the sleeves. She checked her emails, only several spam emails and news letters from Earth. She feed Shepard's Hamster, Boo, and then went outside to the elevator. She pressed the button to the crew deck, needing a cup of coffee to start her day.

She reached the floor, seeing the memorial wall as the doors opened. The names jumped out at her.

"Richard Jenkins," Ashley thought, "If he didn't die back on Eden Prime; I might not be her right now."

"Kaiden Alenko; he was a good friend," she thought, "If Shepard would have chosen him; I'd be a pile of dust right now." Ashley tried not to think about it, not liking the idea of being favored over Alenko.

"Mordin, Thane, and Legion," Ashley thought, "I never knew them, except for Thane" "Thane was so nice to me at that hospital, but that bastard Kai Leng killed him."

"EDI," Ashley mumbled, "If you were only here right now." She thought about everything Joker had gone through after losing her. Joker still missed her terribly, but he was acting normal now and was able to move on. The rest of the crew missed her too, comforting each other.

"Admiral David Anderson," Ashley said out loud.

"Just doesn't ring as much of a bell as Captain," a voice said from behind. Ashley looked back to see Joker carrying to cups of coffee. He walked towards her and handed her one of the cups. The two looked at the wall as they drank their coffee.

"I remember when I met Anderson; it was my first day on The Normandy," said Joker. "It was the same day I met Shepard and Kaiden." "It was about a three days before The Geth attack went down on Eden Prime."

"Hard to believe it has been about four years since all that happened," said Ashley, "We've certainly gone through a lot." "Just wish they were all here with us."

"Yeah, we all do," said Joker. He looked at Ashley, noticing her hands were slightly shaking. "You okay?"

"Huh…oh," said Ashley, "Yeah, just getting over some bad sleep."

"Nightmares?" asked Joker.

"Yeah," said Ashley, "I've had one every night for the past couple months."

"So had everyone else," said Joker, "Everybody on this ship has been talking and screaming in their sleep." "I just hope Shepard isn't in some month long spooky Reaper hell dream."

"Shepard's doing fine," said Ashley, "He just needs time."

Traynor's voice came over the intercom. "Commander Williams, Miranda Lawson is on the vid command needing to talk to you about Cerberus."

Ashley drank the rest of her coffee. "Well, I gotta go talk to the 'beauty queen'," said Ashley.

"Are you jealous Staff Commander Williams?" asked Joker?

"Of that I'm not jealous that I'm not in a skin tight leather outfit waving my ass and breasts around for everybody to look at," said Ashley.

"What a shame," mumbled Joker as Ashley walked away, "I'd love that."

Ashley reached the communication center, walking up to the quantum communicator. The image of Miranda Lawson appeared in front of her.

"Commander Williams," said Miranda.

"Lieutenant Lawson," said Ashley, "So you've been doing some research on the Intel I need?"

"Yes," said Miranda, "I've got more info on both Mikhail and Claire."

"Mikhail?" said Ashley, "So that's the last general's name."

"Yes, but that's only what I know him as," said Ashley. "He joined up right after The Reaper attack on Earth." "He was one of the first of the civilians to leave Earth." "He was just nineteen and enrolled in a college in Eastern Europe, but he deleted any and all records of himself right before leaving."

"How did a nineteen year old manage to do that?" Ashley asked.

"He's a genius," Miranda said, "He has an IQ of 175, spent several of his teenage years enrolled in MMA classes and self-defense classes." "He understands the mechanics of both weapons and ships, allowing him to use both to their full potential."

"Hackett told me he organized the attack on Sur'Kesh and coup on The Citadel," said Ashley.

"He managed to find the base, hacking into Alliance transmissions and delivering them to Cerberus," said Miranda, "He then joined up with Cerberus, giving The Illusive Man much needed Intel and advice on what to do." "He apparently knew The Illusive Man was indoctrinated, organizing a small group of radicals within to avoid Reaper implants and secure assets for future survival."

"So, he secured weapons, troops, and data," said Ashley, "And then, planned out another attack on Earth."

"Yes," said Miranda, "However, he also did plan out that the attack on Earth two months ago would fail." "He needed Matthew to die so he could take full control."

"Did you know Matthew or Claire?" asked Ashley.

"Both," said Miranda, "Matthew was a veteran of Cerberus, being with the organization since the beginning of its creation." "He was a very egotistically man, often viewing himself as a teacher to others and heir to The Illusive Man's throne." "He often tried to take my cells over and change operation objectives."

"What about Claire?" asked Ashley, "I know she was head of The Phantom divisions and is currently Mikhail's lover," Ashley said as she looked at some data plans sent over by Miranda.

"Yes, she was one of our top scientists for Cerberus," said Miranda, "She and I actually were a part of the Lazarus project for a year and a half."

"That's the project that brought Shepard back to life," said Ashley. She remembered the funeral and the reports of Shepard's fate. He was choked out of breath by the vacuum of space and then burned up on re-entry towards a planet.

"Yes, she left the project for another cell," said Miranda, "She began to work alongside to learn how to apply augmentation to soldiers for Cerberus." "She never had any implants of her own, but was the galaxy's most brilliant trans-humanist." "She must have met up with Mikhail, most likely working with her to take over Cerberus."

"Miranda, what do you know about that phantom prototype she was working on?" asked Ashley.

"Only that it's an extremely dangerous weapon," said Miranda, "It requires almost no implants, allowing for anybody to learn how to use it." "It was a suit designed to increase reflexes, slow down time with adrenaline and other chemicals induced into your blood, and allow for optimal camouflage in any environment." "I don't know how far it has come, but the fact that it's still being talked about tells me that it's still an option."

"Thank you for everything Miranda," said Ashley, "We'll stop Mikhail."

"I hope so," said Miranda, "Otherwise, we'll all be in trouble." Miranda saluted Ashley before the signal faded.

"Ashley," said Joker over the intercom, "Hackett is on the line and says that you would need to her it."

"Okay, put him through," said Ashley. The image reappeared, but an older man appeared in an Alliance dress uniform.

"Commander," said Hackett.

Ashley saluted Hackett. He saluted her back before the two put their hands down.

"We found out who took your sister," said Hackett, "It took long, mainly because most crime has gone underground due to the new presence of military police forces."

"Who took them," Ashley said in a somewhat demanding voice.

"They are called The Orange Clan," said Hackett, "They are a small sub-division of Blue suns and Eclipse mercenaries." "They specialize in selling slaves to private parties, hoping to only make a profit."

"Where are they?" asked Ashley.

"They have a small base on a moon orbiting the Turian colony of Tarmon," said Hackett, "It's the only base they have left," said Hackett, "Most of their assets were destroyed by Reaper forces, so that is where your sister is."

"Let's send in a couple ships," said Ashley, "Rescue those men and women."

"I'd like to Williams, but I can't do that," said Hackett, "We can't afford to make any unnecessary moves in this peace time."

"How is this unnecessary," said Ashley, "There are men and women, including my sisters, which are being sold off to people for god-knows-what reason!"

"Ashley, I understand," said Hackett, "Getting this information for you was hard enough as it was." "These salvers have a tendency to disappear for months, and then they appear in brand new location." "There's nothing I'd like more than to stop them, but the other admirals are trying to rebuild everything that has been lost." "Nobody wants to fight anymore; and I can't but agree with them."

"There's must be something you can do," said Ashley.

"I gave you this information," said Hackett, "And I'm sure a Spectre and her advanced stealth ship can secretly go into the base and rescue them." "Just be quiet about it, don't go and blow anything up."

Ashley smiled, remembering that she was only bound to The Citadel Council's jurisdiction. "Aye aye sir," she said as she saluted him before signing out. "Joker, take us to the Tarmon!"

"We're just a couple hours out of the planet," said Joker, "I'll set a course right away."

* * *

Ashley was down in the shuttle bay. She was dressed in a new stealth outfit that she had stored away. The mesh was very light, gripping every curve of her body. Plates were placed all along the suit to provide protection, allowing for easy movement in combat. She had a silenced Black Talon pistol and silenced Mattlock assault rifle. Her head was covered with a ski mask type hat, covering everything but her two eyes. Ashley stepped into the shuttle, allowing Cortez to take her to the slaver base.

"Okay, I'm gonna have to drop you off by the base, just out of sensor range," said Cortez. "When you've got your sister, head back here and send the pickup signal to me.

"Thanks Cortez," said Ashley as she jumped into some weeds on the hill. The shuttle flew away into the darkness of the night. It was around the middle of the night, the perfect time to attack the base. There were only about seven guards around the base.

The base had a large concrete wall surrounding it. There was a metal gate allowing for entrance into the building. Several small Anti-Aircraft guns were on top of the main building. The main building had a small guard house with a larger prison complex attached to it. There was a small shuttle area for unloading and loading prisoners.

She army crawled down the side of the hill. The weeds were allowing her to silently move through to the edge of the base. She looked up the tall solid wall, knowing she couldn't scale it. The main gate was guarded by four guards; all armed with avenger assault rifles. Three other guards were carrying sniper rifles along the top of the wall; one of those carrying a Widow. She snuck along to the back of the wall, noticing a small grate for ventilation. Ashley slowly took the grate off of the wall, fitting her body into the shaft.

She managed to fit into the shaft, allowing for some room to wiggle herself into the complex. She felt nothing but hot air hitting her skin, making her sweat in the suit. She finally reached the building, looking out at one of the vents. She saw a server room, only one guard in it. She took out her pistol, pushing the barrel slightly out of the vent. She fired a single shot at the asari's head.

The Asari instantly fell to the ground, the bullet ending her life. Ashley pushed the grate off and caught it in the air. She quietly placed it on the ground. She stepped out of the vent and walked towards the Asari. She picked her up, carrying her limp body towards a nearby closet. She put her into the closet, closing the door so the body couldn't be easily found.

Ashley took her "Helmet" off, and then walked over to a nearby server. Her hair was glistening with sweat, dripping off onto the ground. Ashley opened her Omni-tool, hacking into the server. She looked for the records of prisoners.

"Got it," Ashley thought, "Okay, let's look through the past month." Ashley browsed the files, looking at the pictures for her sister's face. The files only consisted of basic information along with their name. After a few dozen of people; she found her.

"Abby Williams," said Ashley. "You…you were sold." "Let's see…" Ashley looked at the file case. She noticed that there was an auction list. Abby was highly desired, her relation to Ashley being a top reason.

"Omega… you were sold to a local… club owner?" Ashley stated. She knew who bought Abby, a Turian man by the name of Skyralix. He owned a large club named Oceana, one of the most popular clubs next to Afterlife. She got the address, and then headed back towards the air vent.

Suddenly, alarms went off in the room. The intercom boomed with the voice of a Krogan. "We have an intruder in the server room!" "Everyone, move to kill!" Ashley jumped into the vent, crawling as fast as she could back outside.

"Cortez, I tripped an alarm or something, I need an immediate evacuation," Ashley said.

"Okay, I'll be ready to pick you up at the base," Cortez said.

Ashley reached the exit, getting back up on her feet. She drew gun out, getting ready to fight her way to the shuttle. She turned the corner, beginning to fire at the guards there. She took them down, hoping that the shuttle would show up soon.

The gates started to open, guards screaming that she was about to escape. The shuttle fired several rockets into the gate, killing most of the guards. Ashley walked towards the shuttle, the doors opening showing Vega ready to help her. Ashley put her gun away, waving to Vega with her right arm.

"We gotta go to Ome…" Ashley said. Then suddenly Ashley felt nothing but pain. She saw a stream of blood come out in front of her. She saw Vega raise his gun and begin to fire. She started to fall forward, trying to break her fail. Everything began going blurry, but she noticed something that frightened her. Her right arm was getting farther and farther away from her. She hit the grounding, noticing her arm falling right before her. Ashley blacked out instantaneously, the pain causing a single tear to fall from her eye.


	20. Chapter 20

The Alliance Command Dreadnought, The SSV Aconcagua, was in Orbit over the human colony of Terra Nova. The ship was helping to reconstruct the colony and rescue any civilians left. Terra Nova was one of the hardest hit non-home world planets for humanity. The colony was almost completely decimated, only Reaper made camps and some shelter for civilians remained. While Earth was still the main priority for reconstruction; most colonies were salvaged to provide resources and people for the tremendous effort.

Admiral Hackett was presiding over command of the ship. He had been on the ship since the end of The Reaper War. The admiral knew that he would need a command center to help organize the reconstruction of Earth and The Relays. He had considered The Normandy, but knew that it would be in better hands with its crew. So, he chose one of humanities newest dreadnoughts and one of its only survives, next to The SSV Fuji.

About a month ago; Hackett decided to extend The Alliances help to the other species, using the ship as a symbol. He took the ship to Palaven, Sur'Kesh, Thessia, Tuchunka, and even Omega. They had helped to save civilians and rebuild entire cities. The tour was done, and the ship was touring local colonies to boaster humanities resolve. Hackett would stop and give a small speech to locals to remind them of the galaxies victory.

Hackett was on the command deck of The SSV Aconcagua, helping to focus rebuilding efforts. The deck was busy with the chatter of the crew. "We can use some of the minerals from the asteroids to rebuild the capital buildings," Hackett said over an intercom.

"Sir, with all due respect, there are barely any of those materials left, and we are short on hospital space," said a woman over the intercom. "We need more space and we can use it..."

"Rear Admiral, if you need more space, use the ships med bays to help them," said Hackett. "Understood?"

"Yes Admiral," said the woman

"Now, I have to get to an Admiralty Board meeting in a couple of minutes," said Hackett, "Any calls for me, unless extremely urgent are to be put on hold," ordered Hackett, "Hackett out." Hackett left the console he was at, taking his hat off of his head. He was exhausted from the events of the past month. He had worked so hard to build and hide The Crucible, organizing the recapture of Earth at the same time.

Hackett walked to a nearby elevator, hitting the button to the meeting room deck. The elevator doors closed, then a soft shift downwards to the floor. The doors chimed open again after a little while, Hackett stepped out. The room was a large meeting table, leather seats surrounding it. The entire room was surrounded by bullet proof glass, only on entrance in and out. The entrance had five guards stationed around a scanner. They all were armed with SMG's and pistols and wore full body armor.

Hackett stepped up to the scanner, a square grid of a dim blue light moved towards him. One of the guards looked at a small computer screen. They screen analyzed Hackett's vitals and threat level.

The guard spoke up, "Admiral, were gonna have to take your side arm." Hackett looked at the guard, a look of curiosity on his face. "Standard procedure, you are meeting the President."

"Understood," said Hackett. He reached into his coat, pulling out a small pistol out. He handed it to the guard and all his ammo. The guard put the gun into a secure safe; the key was a DNA scan of all five guards. They locked the safe, setting it off to the side.

Hackett stepped into the meeting room. The four other Admirals were already sitting down, a dossier report each in front of them. Hackett took a seat next to Admiral Stevens and Admiral Jacobson. The other two Admirals, Smith and Price, were sitting opposite of the three. The front seat was left empty for The President and the back seat was simply left alone.

The table had a pitcher of coffee and water in the center. The view of Terra Nova was directly outside the windows of the floor. A small cluster of asteroids were passing by the ship. The hum of the engines was softly whispering through the ship. Hackett and the other Admirals were stemming through the report they were handed. The report contained all basic updates of missions, projects, and threat analyses.

The doors to the elevator opened up again. A man stepped out with two other men. The first main was dressed in a black suit, a white tint grazing the outlines of the suit. The other two men were also in suits; however, they were both armed with small pistols and wore sunglasses. The man stepped through the door to the room, ignoring the scanner completely. The other two men stopped and stood guard next to the five soldiers.

The Admirals all stood up as the man walked inside the meeting room. The President walked to his chair, sitting down as a fresh cup of coffee was handed to him by one of his personal guards who quickly ran from his post. The President took a sip, and then opened his report up.

"So, what do we have?" asked The President.

The Admirals all sat down and opened their reports. Hackett said, "As you can see, ninety percent of all travel has opened back up to civilians." "This has allowed for a recovery of the galactic economy for the moment being."

"How does Earth look Hackett?" asked The President, "I assume things are looking better."

Admiral Price spoke up, "Mr. President, we've managed to get a handle of most of Earth's major cities." "However, it will be years before everything returns to normal."

"How long are we looking at?" asked The President.

"Well," said Hackett, "It will take about ten years to restore the ecosystems and atmosphere to Earth." "Rebuilding everything could take around thirty to fifty years."

"Good, we expected about hundred years when we first found Earth," said The President, "Now, let's move onto Cerberus." "What do we know about them?"

Admiral Jacobson spoke up, "Sir, we know… absolutely nothing on their operations."

"What?" declared The President, "What happened to all that stuff we found on Mikhail and The Phantom proto-type?!"

"That's all we can find," said Hackett, "We just get the same information over and over again." "It's like they only want us to speculate and come up with crazy theories."

"Why?" said Stevens, "What does Cerberus gain from this?"

"They gain a mysterious agenda and restore their status as a shadow organization," said Hackett, "Mainly; Mikhail seems to be toying with us."

"Hackett," said The President, "Where are the bases?" "Where are the funds?" "Where, for the love of god, are they!" The president's voice had slowly gotten louder, showing a pent up frustration and exhaustion towards Cerberus.

"Sir, we are doing everything to stop them," said Hackett, "The first sign of them pops up and we will eliminate them; I can assure you of that."

The president took a deep breath and wiped his forehead. "Sorry, I just wish we could get these guys off our back." "… Shepard could do it, if he was still alive."

"He is," said Smith, 'He's just resting."

"Resting in a coma," laughed Price, "Shepard isn't waking up for a long, long time."

"Even so," said Hackett, "He did everything he could in his powers as a Commander and a Spectre."

"Speaking off Spectres," said The President, "We need to talk about our two Spectres." "According to this report, they've have been… fraternizing with each other." The president turned the page, glancing at Doctor Samuel Johnson's report. "Thoughts?" he asked as he glanced up at the Admirals.

Admiral Price stood up, "I feel that we all agree that the relationship is completely inappropriate and needs to be complete stopped." A small unison of agreement was murmured by the Admirals.

Hackett coughed, a sign of disagreement, "Personally, I feel that Shepard has earned the right to see whom he wants."

"Stow it Hackett," said Price, "You are clearly outnumbered here." "And while Shepard has done more for this galaxy than anyone else, he cannot be… whoring around on his ship." "Especially with his Executive Officer and fellow Spectre." "The implications of that relationship are enormous; we lose our only two Spectre's respect and become a laughing stock of the galaxy."

"So," said The President, "How should we proceed?"

A voice came out of nowhere into the room. "Personally, you really shouldn't interfere with Shepard," said the voice. "People tend to… die that way." The Admirals looked as one of the soldiers walked into the room. He was stripping his armor off, revealing a pure black dress suit under it.

"Soldier," said The President, "I don't know how in the hell you managed to hear all of that through the soundproof walls and glass, but you will be arrested for interfering in high level…"

The soldier was down to only his helmet, standing in his dress suit in front of them. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at The President. The other guards came in pointing their guns at The Admirals. The two guards that came in with The President had been murdered, their corpses laid in front of the meeting room.

"I don't know what the fuck is going on," yelled The President, "But you will all reap the consequences of your actions!"

The soldier in the suit pulled his helmet off. His short black hair bounced free from the helmet. His face was pale, the blueness of his eyes piercing the Admiral's hearts. His lips were somewhat cracked and his skin was a little dry.

"You…" said Hackett, "Mikhail, how did you get here?"

"It took a lot of time and a lot of patience, but we managed to place agents next to you," said Mikhail as he took the seat at the end opposite of the president. "Hackett, pour me a cup of coffee."

Hackett, who had the barrel of a gun about a foot from him, poured the cup of coffee. He passed it down to Mikhail, who took an immediate sip. He leaned over a grabbed Price's report, looking at it.

"What do you want?" said The President.

"What does anybody want," said Mikhail, "I want money…power…weapons." "You are the most powerful men in The Alliance, and here I have you in the palm of my hand."

"We don't negotiate with terrorists," said The President.

"Oh, you don't?" sarcastically remarked Mikhail, "How about I have my men here put a bullet in your leg." "I can kill all of you and leave your dead bodies for the custodians to find, but then I couldn't use you."

"Use us for what?" said Hackett, "We aren't giving you any information."

"I don't need any information," said Mikhail, "I have enough information to speak to you here in person, and so I would say I'm satisfied." "Anyway, I want money."

"Money," said Hackett, "You expect us to hand over Alliance funds to Cerberus?"

"Yes, about seventy five percent of your black budget will do nicely," said Mikhail

"Seventy five percent!" said Smith, "You're crazy; we could never hide that amount of money."

"I've set up a series of trusts, fronts, and projects to spread the money through," said Mikhail, "The money will be sent as usual, but I will reap the benefits and you will reap the consequences."

"Then kill us," said Hackett, "I'll never serve you."

"I won't just stop there," said Mikhail, "Anybody you've ever known and love will die a horrific and excruciating death: family, friends, and even pets."

"You're a monster," said Hackett.

"Yes, but I'm just more organized then the usual enemy of The Alliance," said Mikhail.

A loud boom came from the back of the ship. Alarms went off above the room, the light turning a bright red that coated the room. A voice came over the intercom, "Attention all crew members, the ship is experiencing engine malfunctions, evacuate immediately!"

"Well, that's our bombs," said Mikhail, "I expect the first payment through these places by the end of the month." He threw the president a copy of Cerberus fronts. "You use that to hurt me, and I will rape and kill your daughter… in front of you."

The President leapt up, wanting to kill Mikhail with his bare hands. However the armed guards stopped him.

"Get to your escape pods gentlemen," said Mikhail, "The ship is going down due to 'mechanical failure' and this conversation never happened." The guards yelled for The Admirals to get up and lead them to the escape pod. They strapped on their safety harnesses and got ready for takeoff.

Suddenly, the wall of the meeting room blew open. A small Cerberus ship created a vacuum seal to allow for Mikhail and his crew to board. Claire stepped out to greet Mikhail with a kiss. Mikhail departed into the ship, disappearing as the escape pod closed.

"Well," said Price, "What should we do?"

The president was lost in thought. However, he looked up and said, "As much as we don't like it; we got to play along." "However, the minute he slips up…we kill him."

* * *

A/N: I did this chapter mainly to characterize Mikhail (Kind of trying to make him the Opposite Shepard that Kai Leng couldn't be). However, this will play a vital role in his plans. What are his plans? I'll never tell…

Also, just because I don't want to seem like I did it for a reason. I didn't make him Russian for the sole purpose of Russians being the bad guys (Like every source of post WW2 fictional conflict known to man).


	21. Chapter 21

Shepard had just returned from his recent mission on a small asteroid on the boarder to The Terminus System. He had just raided a Batarian pirate site and stopped a planned attack on the station orbiting Pluto. He had managed to avoid any casualties and secure several prisoners for The Alliance. Overall, it was one of Shepard's better missions.

It had been about a year since he left The Villa, earning his N6 title right before leaving. Shepard knew that the only way to earn a N7 rank was to "valiantly earn the title through actual combat scenarios," as The Alliance officially said. Shepard felt that he had done enough, but still had heard nothing from The Alliance.

Shepard had also said goodbye to a longtime friend, Frank Mason. He and Mason met back at the boot camp several years ago. They had stuck together through all of The Villa's grueling training program, both achieving N6 ranks. However, Shepard and Mason went separate ways afterwards. They maintained some contact, seeing each other a few times.

Shepard had begun his journey as a leader soon after leaving. He went into countless raids on pirate and Batarian complexes. He had saved countless innocents, but was only rewarded with his personal satisfaction of accomplishments. The news and extranet didn't boast about Alliance accomplishments, hiding humanities accomplishments to keep the public in the dark. Most raids were counted off as other pirates or accidents, praising the events as luck for The Council's choices.

Shepard was in an Alliance shuttle with several other troops, cheering for their recent victory. Shepard had just lit up a cigarette, a habit he and Mason had just started after leaving The Villa. The taste and smoke had calmed their nerves; and modern science no longer made cancer or other diseases a problem; although, public use was still viewed as gross and unhealthy. Shepard took the cigarette out of his mouth, blowing smoke in a straight cloud out of his nostrils.

Several of the rookies were basting about their accomplishments, telling about their "headshots" and "kill streaks". Most of these kids were still NCO's and only a hand full were N-troops, kids dreaming about being the heroes from their extranet games and movies. While not elite commandos; their secret missions helped to build Alliance loyalty and experience for future combat.

The Alliance was preparing for war, but not with a single enemy, but with everybody. Humanity was still new to the galaxy, still a child among the elders of the stars. Today's allies can be tomorrow's enemies, and vice versa. Shepard had learned Turian culture and tactics, being taught that they were economic, social, and military rivals. The others were viewed also as potential threats, being longtime allies with Turians. Peace, a goal every military strived for, was also their worst enemy.

"Hey Commander, your being awfully quiet, hope you're not regretting that raid or something," said one of the troops. The rest broke out in laughter, Shepard emitting a small chuckle in between puffs of smoke.

"No, just thinking about stuff," said Shepard, "Hoping you guys and gals don't take this victory and become too arrogant."

"Why not?" asked one of the troops, "We killed all those fucking Batarians; and we'll kill all those freaking aliens that want to mess with us!" The group began cheering and yelling, chanting slogans and their unit number. Shepard just sat there, not knowing whether to ashamed at the common stupidity of the political scene or proud and their patriotism. The whole internal politics of the military made him sick to his stomach, or maybe it was the fact he smoked three to four packs of cigarettes a day and it finally had caught up to him.

The shuttle landed at Jump Zero, humanities star space station. The station was positioned at the relay leading to the sol system. It was no Citadel, looking like a makeshift command center compared to The Mass Relays and Citadel, supposedly built by The Protheans. The station was still rather large, allowing for several ships to dock and troops to stay there. However, its main function was tactical reconnaissance and research, allowing for top level intel and state of the art gear.

The docking bay doors opened, revealing a short pathway into the station. The troops grabbed their gear, heading out in a herd to the station. Shepard put out his cigarette, huffing in the last of the fumes. He grabbed his assault rifle and helmet. He left the shuttle, walking out to a hallway of troops and Alliance officers. The troops were all headed down to their quarters, hoping to get a little R&R before duty called again. Shepard went in the opposite direction, towards the meeting room for Alliance commanders.

He had been summoned for a debriefing, hoping his recent victory would allow for his N7 status to be rewarded to him. He reached the room after taking a few turns; a couple of guards standing outside the room. He waved his Omni-tool at them, showing his military ID and genetic password for entry. The doors opened and he stepped into the room as a cool air hit him.

The room was dark; mainly because several screens and holograms were scattered throughout the room. Shepard looked as several officers and other troops were conversing with each other. A large circular table was in the center of the room, allowing for one large hologram to be displayed. Shepard walked towards it, but was suddenly stopped by a familiar voice.

"I didn't know they allowed homeless in here," said the voice. Shepard turned around to see his friend, Frank Mason.

"Mason," said Shepard as her walked towards him, "Didn't know they allowed criminals in here." The two grabbed each other's hands and bumped each other, not wanting to seem unmanly to the others.

"So, how'd that raid go?" asked Mason, "Heard about it from The Rear Admiral over there."

"Great," said Shepard as the two walked towards a table with a coffee pot and several other refreshments on it. "No casualties and everything went according to plan, looks like I'm going to get that N7 promotion after all."

"Not without me you aren't," said Mason, "You can't do anything with me."

"Says the sidekick to the hero," said Shepard sarcastically.

"That hurts me so much," said Mason mockingly to Shepard.

An Admiral walked to the center off the room, pulling up the holographic projector. "Attention everybody," said The Admiral, "we're about to begin so if you could all gather around." The people began to sit around the table, several rows circled the center of the room.

"First off, I would like to bring attention to the fact we over budgeting The Alliance Fleets," said The Admiral, "We're going to have to cut back on ammunition crates by about 30%, also all of our new dreadnoughts are on hold." "However, this will only be for the next couple of years."

"Next, I would like to congratulate Lieutenant Shepard on his extremely successful raid on Batarian pirate asteroid," said The Admiral, "Shepard sustained zero casualties and completely destroyed all traces of the base." "He is on the fast track to being one of our next officers, and all of you could learn from him."

"Also, Lieutenant Mason has," said The Admiral as he turned to Mason. Mason was smoking two cigarettes in his mouth, blowing smoke into the air. "Lieutenant, for the last time, there is no smoking in here!" Mason threw the cigarettes over the back of his shoulder, carelessly missing the trash.

"I swear to god, if you weren't one of our top soldiers; I'd court marshal your ass," said The Admiral. The rest of the group was trying to hold in their laughs and maintain respect. "Anyways, the next order of business is this," he said as a planet popped up in the room.

"This is Akuze," said The Admiral, "A small colony in the middle of nowhere, no strategic or political value." "However, we have lost complete contact with the entire colony." "We need several squads to go and investigate, the radio silence shows a larger threat than pirates."

"Sir," said an officer, "Is it The Turians?"

"Maybe, the colony had minimal defenses and a small group of well maintained troops could take it," said The Admiral, "That is why we need to investigate; however, this will be a voluntary mission; so do we have any takers?"

The room was quiet; everybody either didn't want to waste their time or walk into the next galactic war. Shepard stood up, "I'll do it; I can get volunteer troops ASAP."

"Good anyone else?" said The Admiral. A couple more stood up an volunteered their help. Mason then stood up and said, "I'll help too."

"Alright," said The Admiral, "You all can leave within the next hour at the designated shuttles, dismissed."

Shepard got up and left with Mason. "Well Shepard," said Mason, "looks like you're going to go 2-0 for your 'no casualties' streak."

Shepard laughed, " Yeah, I guess so."

* * *

Shepard and Mason were sitting next to each other in the shuttle. They enjoyed the company of each other's smoke filling the air around them. The crew was still laughing and talking to each other, knowing this would be a simple routine inspection.

"So, Shepard," said Mason, "Are you still dating that one chick... uh... Karen!"

"No," said Shepard, "That only lasted a week." "I guess those club dancers aren't really my type."

"Oh, well; you'll find someone, just like me," said Mason.

"You proposed?" said Shepard.

"Yeah," said Mason, "Me and Heather are getting married around the end of the year." "Speaking of which, I assume you're going to accept the role of best man?"

"Sure, I'd be honored," said Shepard.

"You're so sensitive like that," said Mason, "You're gonna make a great wife."

Shepard punched Mason in the shoulder, "And so will you."

The shuttle driver announced, "Here we are, Akuze: the happiest little place in the middle of fucking nowhere." The shuttle jumped as it landed on the ground. "I'll be back to pick you up after you turn the power back on."

The doors opened, the hot air poured into the shuttle. The troops groaned as they left the confines of their cool shuttle. Shepard and Mason continued to smoke as they stepped out of the shuttle. Their eyes were blurred by the bright sun and the dust filled their lungs along with their smoke.

Akuze was a small colony in the middle of a desert planet. It's main purpose was escape, escape from society and reality. The population was relatively small, consisting of some desert farmers and retirees. However, nobody was to be seen within eyesight. The streets were abandoned and the buildings were shut in. Cars were all off and parked; no sounds, other than the wind, could be heard.

Shepard and Mason walked down the street, troops following by them. They entered the buildings, trying to find someone to talk to. No one was here, people seemed to have disappeared out of nowhere. Dinners were left unattended and TV's had been left on.

"What's going on here?" said Mason

"I don't know?" said Shepard, "But so much for a simple mission."

"That's so cliché Shepard," said Mason as he looked out towards the horizon. "Were gonna have to go out there."

"Why?" said a troop, "What's out there other than dirt and dust?

"Well, there's a car or something out there," said Mason, "see?"

Shepard looked out to the desert. A small figure was just visible over the horizon. It could be just a piece of farming equipment or the answer to everyone's disappearance. "Let's go then," said Shepard.

The group began leaving the small town, sand building up around their legs. The sun bared down on the soldiers, sweat pouring from their heads.

"Can we go fucking home!" said one of the troops.

"Corporal Toombs; you volunteered for this mission," said Shepard, "So don't complain."

The group finally reached the object, revealing its nature to them.

"Augggh!" screamed Mason, "It's a fucking piece of scrap metal!" "We brought fifty fucking troops and three fucking Makos to fund a piece of goddamn scrap metal!"

Then, as if Mason had awoken something, the ground shook. The troops all raised their guns, alert to the immediate danger they were in. Then, the sound got louder and louder. The sand flew into the air as one of The Makos was lifted up by a giant creature. It crushed the truck in one swift move and tossed the corpse aside.

"THREASHER MAW!" yelled Shepard, "Everybody back to the town! GO!"

The troops moved as fast as they could, trying to escape the aim and grasp of the giant worm-like creature. Then, another maw appeared and hit another Mako. The Mako hit the other Mako, turning them over to their sides. The troops panicked and took cover.

"We got two more in bound," screamed one of the troops as he was hit by a glob of acid from The Thresher Maw, killing her instantly.

"Keep moving!" said Shepard, "GO!"

Then, another Thresher Maw grabbed about ten of the troops, adding a total of five to the group of Thresher Maws. The troops sprinted back towards the town, trying to escape their fate. Shepard pulled up his Omni-tool, trying to contact the shuttles.

"This is Lieutenant Shepard; were under attack by a heard of Thresher Maws, we need immediate evac!" Then, one of the Thresher maws flanked the group and dove towards them. The troops fell to the ground as it dove back into the ground.

"Toombs!" yelled Shepard as he saw him get caught by one of the maws small appendages. "Keep moving," as Shepard moved towards the town. The group was down to nine soldiers, including Shepard and Mason. They finally reached the town; The Thresher Maws still on their tail.

"Shepard," said Mason, "Get to the shuttle , we'll hold them off!"

"Mason," said Shepard as he stepped next Mason, "I'm not leaving your side... I guess we die here today."

"No," said Mason, "Not you." Mason pushed Shepard as hard as he could into one of the buildings, forcing Shepard into the middle of a living room. "Sorry Shepard," said Mason to Shepard as he ran out. He then stopped and turned towards Shepard, "Goodbye." Mason shut the door and locked it from behind.

Shepard ran to the door, trying to open it. Then one of The Thresher Maws hit the building, flipping it over onto its side. Shepard flew and landed on a broken window, now firmly facing the ground. Shepard saw as a piece of metal fell towards him, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Shepard awoke a little bit later, the sounds of battle fully silenced. Shepard had luckily not broken any bones and had a clear path out. A chunk of the building was completely missing and Shepard walked out of the building.

He looked out at the destroyed town. All of the buildings were scattered and wrecked, cars flung all around the desert. Shepard looked around for any signs of life, trying to find even a corpse.

"Mason!" yelled Shepard, "Mason!" "Mason!" "MASON!"

Shepard found no one, only the remains of The Thresher Maws' destruction. Shepard contacted the shuttle from his Omni-tool. "Hello... anybody there?"

"Shepard, is that you?" said the pilot.

"Yes... I'm... I'm the only one left," said Shepard.

"My god... coming to pick you up now," said the pilot.

Shepard sat down on a piece of a nearby building, resting from the chaos he just witnessed. He took out his pack of cigarettes; his hands still shaking violently. He lit the cigarette, inhaling the whole thing in one breath.

The shuttle picked him up after a little while, bringing him back to Jump zero. Shepard had smoked ten packs, most from the supplies of his fallen comrades on the ship, by the time he had gotten back. Shepard walked out of the shuttle, greeted by several officers and The Admiral from the debriefing.

"Lieutenant," said The Admiral, "Are you okay?"

Shepard walked right by them, going straight one of the private bedrooms of the officers. It wasn't his, but he needed a place to crash. He locked the door and immediately fell down to the ground. Shepard began to sob uncontrollably. The images of Mason and his squad flew through his mind. He remembered the death of his parents, how he ran from them; he had done the same from Mason.

Shepard stood up, trying to light another cigarette. He began to vomit after inhaling one puff of the cigarette. He threw the pack across the room, never wanting to smoke again. He curled up in the corner, trying to calm down.

"I'm sorry Mommy...Daddy...Mason," cried Shepard.

The current Shepard looked on the broken form that was himself. "I had completely broke down," said Shepard, "I lost everything that day, and didn't leave this room for three days." "I was put into a mental hospital for a few months, before being readmitted back into service." "It would be about a year or so before I achieved my N7 status... without Mason."

"Can I go now," said Shepard to the child, "I've done everything you've asked!" "Let me go... back to the world... back to Ashley."

"...She really means that much to you?" said The Child, "You really want to leave."

"I would sacrifice everything to be with her... just let me go."

"If you go, you will lose everything," said The Child, "Permanent Amnesia is the result of not reliving these events." "You'll forget all of this, your love for Ashley, and your friends."

The doorway of light reappeared, The Child motioning towards it, "However the worst is nearly over, but we are only just facing your demons."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay, but I've been really busy lately. I only have a few Shepard-coma ideas left, may go into that mental hospital thing, but it's unlikely. Thanks everybody for their reviews and advice so far! Keep on reviewing and helping me!


	22. Chapter 22

Ashley awoke again, to an all too familiar sight. She was in a hospital bed, this time aboard The Normandy. This was her fourth or fifth time in a hospital bed, losing track after each bad case of luck. She felt the dry air of the room fill her lungs. The bright hospital light pierced the openings of her eyes. She tried to push herself up, putting both hands onto the bed to push up; however, she discovered something was missing.

She looked to her right, trying to see if it was real. She saw her should and it only went down halfway to where her elbow would be. However, she saw only a hump of skin in its place. She had remembered the pain of the bullet as she walked away from the base, cringing at the memory. She moved her left arm to touch her wound.

The bump felt like normal skin, but with a feel of her bone underneath the skin. She felt as if she could move her arm, but it was just missing. The muscle had been cut, only moving her shoulder. She felt goose bumps form on her skin, raising some tiny hairs on her arm. She still could not believe what she saw, a bump where her arm once was.

She tried to get out of the bed, wanting to learn what had happened, but she needed to save her sister. A month ago, she learned that her sister had been taken by slavers, looting The Citadel for fresh crops after The Reaper War. While the war brought people together, criminals still found a way to satisfy their personal greed.

Ashley's family had been relocated back to Earth, helping with the effort to rebuild. Her mother, along with her two sisters Lynn and Sarah, worked to help rebuild the earth's ecosystem. She remained in close contact, giving them hope that she would find Abby and bring her back. So far, most efforts had been fruitless. However, she had found the organization that had captured her, and where she was sold.

However, Ashley had been injured again on the way back to The Normandy. She remembered feeling a sharp jolt of pain as she fell to the ground. Ashley, looked at her stump of an arm again. The reality still was sinking in as she tried to get out of the bed. Dr. Chakwas returned to the room, noticing Ashley trying to leave the bed.

"Ashley," she said as she rushed to stop Ashley, "You're pumped full of several painkiller right now, you have to stay in bed."

Ashley shot a glare at her before saying, "So this is how you greet me? Not comforting me at all after losing my right arm!"

Chakwas was stopped pushing her down, sitting down at her desk next to Ashley. "Ashley, there was nothing we could do." "James said a Turian shot you straight through your arm with a Widow sniper rifle from a distance less than 20 feet."

Ashley looked back at the stump, and then to Chakwas. She then pounded her left hand on the railing of the bed. "Why does this keep happening to me!"

"Ashley," said Chakwas softly, "Anyone could have gotten shot by the gun, it wasn't something that could've been prevented."

"Where's my arm?" stated Ashley.

"Gone," said Chakwas, "James brought it back along with you, but the blood loss and time apart made it unusable." "You've been out for about twenty hours since we fixed you up."

Ashley was staring at the wall, listening to Chakwas' every word. "I keep getting hurt." "First was Mars, then there was the suicide attempt, then the attack on London, and now there's this disaster."

"Ashley, you've sacrificed yourself to save others," said Chakwas, "Liara would've died by that AI on Mars, Shepard would've died by that Cerberus soldier, and James could've gotten shot straight in the head if you weren't there."

"Bullshit," stated Ashley, "I am just reckless and can't think out my attacks."

"Ashley," said Chakwas, "There's nobody who has given more for the safety of this crew than you."

"Well, Shepard did die for Joker," said Ashley sarcastically. The two laughed, easing the tension of Ashley's mood. "But thanks, it's good to know I'm wanted around here." "Dr. Chakwas, I need to go to Omega, my sister's there."

"Ashley, you're in no condition to go back into battle," said Chakwas, "We need to help you get accustomed to using you're left arm, we need to get you off the drugs, and we need to give you a prosthetic of some sort while your new arm grows for six months.

"Six months!" declared Ashley, "My sister has been sold to some Asshole at an Omega club, god only knows what she's doing right now!" "I need to go."

"Well, you can't wield guns or anything without learning to use your non-primary hand," said Chakwas as she walked towards Ashley.

"Doctor, with all due respect," she said, the irony not lost on her while saying it, "Either you give me a solution and let me go; or I'll just go on my own."

"Well, there's one solution we could try," said Chakwas, "We could try cybernetics." Chakwas said as she pointed towards Ashley's ankles.

"I had those removed last month," said Ashley, "They were just necessary so I could perform my job, they acted as muscles for support, nothing else."

"Yes, but you need something now to perform your job," said Chakwas, "However, an entire arm is far more complicated than a simple ankle."

"Does it exist?" asked Ashley, "I haven't seen any soldiers or civilians with robotic parts in them."

"Yes, but it's still very proto-type," Chakwas pulled a hologram up at the end of Ashley's bed, allowing her to fully see it. The device was the exact shape of an arm, but was only designed off the bone structure of the arm. "As you can see, it can do everything an arm does, but with a few benefits."

"Benefits?" asked Ashley.

"The arm is capable of using seven times the strength of a normal human arm," said Chakwas as the display showed the arm easily breaking a coconut with its grip. "It can stand up to degrees of anywhere from 175oC and as low as -85oC." "The arm doesn't have any sort of nerves, so you really don't feel anything with it."

"Wait, that doesn't make any sense," said a puzzled Ashley, "If I can't feel what I'm doing, how can I know I'm doing it."

"Well, you're brain still sends signals to the arm, which are transmitted to neurotransmitters within the cybernetics," said Chakwas, "You still know what's happening, but the physical stimuli that you feel with an arm: softness, hotness, and pain; are no longer present."

"How do you know all this?" asked Ashley.

"I kind of had a feeling you would be interested in this after the accident from The London attack," said Chakwas.

"Well," said Ashley, "This is a big choice, but I need to save my sister."

"We could send in others to do it," said Chakwas, "James is happy to help and other marines can easily help."

"Thanks, but this is something I need to do," said Ashley, "So...let's do it."

"Well, the proto-type is in Alliance hands, but they expressed interests in their second human Spectre becoming the guinea pig for it." "I'll make the call, and they should be here within the hour."

"Thank you, for everything," said Ashley. Chakwas smiled as she turned to leave the room.

"Oh, I just forgot," said Chakwas, "When you were knocked out, The Alliance Dreadnought, The SSV Aconcagua, it crashed on Terra Nova."

"What," said Ashley, "It crashed? How?"

"They're saying it was a mechanical error within the engine, some system wide failures leading to ship wide fires," said Chakwas, "The President and The Admirals all safely ;however, most of the crew perished because the pods were either damaged or already full."

"My god," said Ashley, "So much death... and all from a stupid accident."

"It's on the news if you want to see," said Chakwas as she left. Ashley pressed a few buttons on her bed, allowing for the TV to pop up for her to see."

The image was the worst she could imagine. The capital city was on fire, buildings either in ruin or nearing complete destruction. The sky was red and black smoke covered various spots of the sky. In the middle, a giant piece of metal that was The SSV Aconcagua was on fire. Ships flew in to help douse the fire, medical personnel trying to evacuate civilians fro, the planet.

Then, a woman stepped in front of the screen. She was wearing a mask over her mouth, a microphone on it so they could hear her. Her clothes were covered in soot and her hair was ruffled from all the commotion.

"This Emily Wong, reporting for The Alliance Network News," said the reporter. "Approximately twelve hours ago; The SSV Aconcagua crashed on the city of Terra Nova after a complete engine failure covered the ship in fire. In the next twelve minutes, the ship burned through the atmosphere before hitting the city directly." "The resulting impact has destroyed the newly rebuilt city and killed countless soldiers and survivors of The Reaper War."

Ashley shut the TV off, disgusted by the death still happening in The Galaxy. She laid her head back, waiting for the inevitable surgery that was too come.

* * *

Several scientists had come within the next hour, explaining how the prototype worked and what would happen in surgery. She would receive what was called a "transfer plate:" a piece of electronics that would allow for the transition of organic nerves and muscle into synthetic parts. Then the arm itself could easily be attached to the plate.

She was put under, knowing the surgery would last for two hours and recovery was only about ten minutes long. She didn't dream of anything, only blacking out for a what was a few short moments. She awoke to the doctors cleaning up after themselves and waiting for her to wake up.

"She's up, Ms. Williams how do you feel?" said one of the doctors

"Uhh," she said, "I feel weird." She looked to her right and saw her new arm. The bronze and silver of the metal and wires reflected the light off of the surface. The arm looked fragile compared to her body, but was assured was extremely durable.

"Wow," she said, "That's...that's my arm," said Ashley. She was amazed at the miracle of modern science, but was still scared of what was to come.

"All right, can you lift your arm for us slowly?" said one of the doctors. Ashley moved the muscles in her shoulder, lifting the metal slowly off the tray it was on. It was just as light as her other arm, but felt as if she was wearing a think glove or something. She moved it in front of her, still feeling that it was extremely fragile to her.

"Good," said the doctor as he watched her. "Can you move your fingers and then make a fist for me?" She moved her thumb, watching it wiggle, all from the power of her mind. Then she moved her index finger, and then her middle, and so forth. Finally, she balled her hand up into a fist.

"Okay, this is amazing!" said another of the doctors, "She is adapting to the technology easily and is accelerating the acceptance process more quick than we thought!"

The doctor who was questioning her grabbed a metal bar, bringing it to her hand. "Okay, here is the real test." He placed the bar in her organic hand, positioning it upward. "Bend this with the synthetic hand." She grasped the bar with her new arm, a slight clink of metal on metal echoed in the room. She pulled the bar, not putting much effort into it. The bar remained straight, but she tried harder with her arm to bend it. Then, it happened. The bar easily bent across to the side, creating a U shape from her effort.

"Amazing!" said the doctor. They all began chattering and stopped taking pictures and videos of the experiment. "The hard work we have toiled away for has finally paid off." "Ladies and gentlemen, we can now market to The Alliance." As the doctors all celebrated, Chakwas helped Ashley out of the bed and onto her feet.

"Joker is already on the way to Omega," said Chakwas, "He is two hours out; so you can plan what you're gonna do when you get there."

"Thanks," said Ashley. Ashley walked towards the door, exiting out to the crew deck of the CIC. She walked out to the bustle of the crew eating lunch. Ashley was parched, a would face the crew sooner or later. She walked towards the table of food, a buffet set up with leftovers of the crews many meals. The generally ate better after The Reaper War, but still was confined to military rations.

"Hey Ashley," waved Joker, "How are you feeling?"

"Great," quietly said Ashley, "I feel like everyone is watching me."

"Yeah, but they'll get over it soon enough," said Joker, "So, when we get to Omega, you'll be right by Oceana, and you'll be able to find Skyralix."

"Thanks Joker," she said as she tried to high-five Joker, but didn't realize she was using her new hand. The metal slammed into Joker's brittle hand, a loud crack erupting from the high-five.

"GODDAMN IT!" yelled Joker.

"Oh my god, Joker, I am so sorry," said Ashley, "I didn't know!"

"It's okay," Joker said in a high pitched voice. Several crew members ran to Joker's side; Chakwas leaving the lab after seeing the commotion. "Owwwww...owowowowow!"

"Joker, I'm sorry," said Ashley, "Is there anything I can do?" panicked Ashley.

"No, it's my fault," cried Joker, "I shouldn't have high fived the robot lady." Joker held his hand in his armpit as he was rushed into the med bay. Ashley walked away from the crew, not wanting to cause another incident. She went into the elevator, pushing the button to her cabin. She was angry at herself, thinking that she made a fool out of herself to the crew. She punched the wall, piercing a hole in the side of the elevator. She looked at the hole, amazed at the brute strength it possessed. The door opened and she went inside the cabin. She went to the couch and sat down.

The cabin was still very messy, papers thrown all about from trying to find her sister and all of the info on Cerberus. The bed was unmade and dozens of liquor bottles scattered about the room. She put her hands on her head, slightly jumping from the cold metal of her new hand. She put her new arm on her lap, looking at it still.

She still couldn't believe what had occurred the past few hours. She had just gotten a new body part, something that still amazed her. This wasn't a common occurrence, yet those scientists wanted to make it common. It was something that somewhat scared her, becoming more machine then man. Shepard was full of cybernetics, well...was. Since all the damage from The Crucible, most of the cybernetics had been disabled and either replaced by other cybernetics or the body healed over them.

She looked on the table in front of her, a vase of various flowers in the center. She reached into the vase, grabbing and pulling a rose out of the vase. She grasped it ever-so-softly in her new hand, looking at the delicacy of its form. Nature, was a delicate thing; yet here she was as the creation of man, machines, grasped the frailty of the rose rested in between her index finger and thumb. She knew she could crush it, killing nature instantly with the tools she had been given.

She tossed the rose across the table, flowing through the air. It landed on the ground, hitting with a small thud of gentleness of the cold, metal, floor. A peddle had broken off in the air, floating back towards Ashley's hand. she took her organic hand and grabbed it, resting it on her metallic index finger with her organic hand.

The beauty of nature was evident in the peddle. The lines of organic material and pigments lined the peddles form. She looked down towards her finger, the same beauty still evident in her mechanics. She looked as the various wires and circuits lined her finger. She flicked the peddle off her finger, breaking the peddle into two from her brute strength.

She laid back on the couch, trying to sleep off her guild and thoughts. She watched space pass by from the window atop the ceiling. It was so beautiful, God's beauty in every piece of dust in space, every living being, and even her. She closed her eyes, remembering all the times she and Shepard spent together, craving his touch and pleasure.

* * *

"Commander Williams, we've reached Omega," said a voice over the intercom. She awoke from her sleep, a blanket covering her on the couch. She had stripped down to her underwear, resting from everything that had happened. She got up, moving towards her dresser. She looked at her clothes, trying to find something incognito enough for her mission.

She put on a black tank top, still getting used to her new hand. She put on a pair of jeans also, followed by her socks and boots. She still felt too obvious, so she found a black N7 hoddie near the back of the dresser. It was somewhat larger, being Shepard's and all; however, she put it on and pulled the hood her head. She walked towards the door, grabbing a Phalanx pistol of the desk and holstering it.

She went to the CIC, the crew leaving on a "Short, three hour shore leave," as she said. She walked towards the door, seeing Joker sitting at the front of the ship. His left wrist was in a cast, clearly from the injuries she gave him.

She approached him, "Joker," she said, "Are you okay?"

Joker swiveled around, a look of anger on his face. He glared into her eyes, "You broke my arm," he said.

"Joker, I am so, so, so sorry," pleaded Ashley. The look of seriousness immediately came off his face, a smile breaking forth from his face. He started laughing as Ashley's face showed nothing but confusion.

"The look on your face is priceless," said Joker, "I'm sorry, but I really wanted to do that."

"You're terrible," said Ashley.

"Yeah, I know," said Joker. "Anyways; I'm gonna go get drunk!" Joker got up and waddled off the ship, Ashley still in some shock over the joke Joker had played. She walked of the ship a few moments later, the stench of Omega immediately stabbing her nostrils. The city smelled like it the buildings were made of feces and mud. The people were mostly angry and wanted to be left alone.

She walked down the street, keeping her synthetic arm in her pocket so nobody would see. She looked for the club, neon signs all around the street glowed into the corners of her eyes. Eventually, she found the club called Oceana.

The club glowed a dark blue, reflecting the nature of its name. A line of several species was waiting outside the club. A Batarian and Turian bouncer stood at the front of the club. She walked right up to them, gathering several stares from her actions of cutting the entire line.

"Excuse me miss, there is no cutting in front of everyone," said The Turian.

She looked up at the man, then flashed her Omni-tool at the two. "Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance, so let me in," she simply stated. The two opened the door for her. "I need to speak to Skyralix, so radio ahead for me to meet him...now." The two complied and went back to their posts and sent out a message.

The intro to the club was lined with blue waves, creating the allusion of a wave tunnel for the entering clubbers. She looked around, noticing a familiar trend. There were many woman, all from various species and all wearing very suggestive outfits. She knew they were prostitutes, talking to various clubbers about their "services."

"Hey there," said an Asari towards Ashley, "Can I interest you in some of this blue body?" She pressed herself next to Ashley's body. She simply stated, "no" and walked farther into the club. The club was lined with a mob of people, all dancing to extremely loud techno music on the dance floor. Topless waitresses delivered beers and gave lap dances to customers. She walked further into the club, looking for a place where Skyralix would be.

"Excuse me miss, are you the one here to talk to Skyralix?" asked a Batarian to her.

"Yeah, where is he?" asked Ashley.

"Follow me," said the Batarian as he motioned to follow him. They went down the stairs, walking by a ton of patrons who were either drunk, high, or both. They eventually came to a door near the back, guarded by two armed guards. He pointed to the door and she entered.

The room was mixed with neon blue and purple, shimmering across everything in the room. The floor was carpeted, a large platform near the middle. A stripper pole on the platform, several leather couches surrounding it. On one of them, a Turian male was being extremely physically "entertained" by a fully nude Asari. Ashley turned her head in disgust, the Turian finishing up his work. He tossed the Asari off and ordered her to dance on the pole.

He took a couple of deep breaths and pulled himself together, "Come, sit," he said to Ashley. "You can sit on my lap if you want," he suggestively said.

She ignored him and sat on the couch next to him.

"So, what brings a Spectre to my club?" asked the Turian as he watched the Asari.

"A while back, you purchased a female slave named Abby from a group of slavers named The Orange Clan," said Ashley.

"I order plenty of slaves, what makes this one so special," said Skyralix.

"First off, she's my sister, so that should tell you everything," said Ashley, "I want her back...now!" Ashley looked Skyralix straight in the eyes, trying to intimidate him.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that," said Skyralix, "All slaves are mine and I can use them as I see fit." "So, I suggest you leave before I have my guards come in and kill you."

Ashley knew negotiations were going nowhere, so she tried bargaining before resorting to violence. "If money is an issue, I can pay," said Ashley.

"I'm rich enough as it is," said Skyralix, "The Prostitution, Red Sand, and Alcohol provides me with plenty of entertainment and money for a lifetime." "So, unless you have a large amount of drugs to offer, I'm afraid there's no option." he then placed his hand on her right breast and slightly squeezed it, "However, there are certain...benefits you could provide for me in exchange."

Ashley grabbed his arm with her synthetic arm, pulling it behind his head and pulling her gun out and pressing it to his face. "How about you give me the info or you die!"

This definitely spoke to the Turian. He began to hyperventilate and The Asari on stage ran off and hid in the corner of the room. "Okay, okay, okay... easy, easy, easy," said Skyralix, "You want drugs... maybe a free fuck from one of our Asari, or human females?"

"I want my goddamn sister!" screamed Ashley.

"Okay, let me just bring it up on my Omni-tool," said Skyralix. She let him go, still holding a gun on him. He brought up a screen, typing some info into it. "We... uh... we sold her," said Skyralix.

"What!" said Ashley, "TO WHO AND WHY?" screamed Ashley as she got more and more frustrated.

"She was one of our prostitutes, very popular with human males and Turian males," said Skyralix, "We got a huge offer of money and drugs by this young male," said Skyralix. "I didn't take any info, because he had the stuff up front!"

Then, the doors burst open and the three guards poured into the room. Ashley grabbed Skyralix and used him as a body shield. She shot two shots, killing the first two guards instantly. The third charged at her, a shotgun pointed at her head. She threw Skyralix into the guards body, causing him to stumble. Then, she grabbed the shotgun, jerking the butt upwards and knocking the guard back. Then she unloaded one round into the guards head and pointed the gun at Skyralix.

"Now, tell me what happened to my sister," said Ashley.

"She...She..." mumbled Skyralix, shaking on the ground, "The man came back... told us..."

"TOLD YOU WHAT?!" screamed Ashley .

"She died due to a drug overdose they administered to her," said Skyralix, "They were blue suns or something... I don't know, local gang here on Omega, said they wanted in on the prostitution ring and wanted their own." "They made me give them a full refund up front, wanted it to remain totally anonymous."

"You..." Ashley began to grow extremely angry at the man, "Fucking...cock sucking...piece of Turian shit!" she yelled as she tossed the gun aside and grabbed him with her synthetic arm. She began choking the life out of him, his eyes growing darker and darker as he tried to breath.

"Tell me who they were!" demanded Ashley.

"I don't know, they paid up front..." gurgled Skyralix, "I swear I don't know, I'll give you money...drugs... women, men, whatever you want." "Just let me live!"

"You killed my sister!" said Ashley. She grabbed the face fringes of the Turian, ripping them off as hard as she could. Skyralix screamed in pain, trying to escape her wrath. She picked up the shotgun again, ramming it into his mouth against the floor. He cried for his life as blood poured out of his mouth and face. Then, Ashley fired a round, blowing his entire head apart.

Ashley, threw the gun down, then broke down crying. Her sister, one of her own flesh and blood, was whored out, drugged up, and finally killed by these group of homicidal freaks. She knew that finding those men was impossible, severing all ties of Abby's trail.

Ashley, grabbed the gun again, then ran out the door. She fired several shots into the air, forcing the clubbers to panic and run in a mob towards the door. Even the guards panicked and ran for the exits, not wanting to face her. She went towards the bar, looking at all of the drugs and alcohol scattered along the bar. She took out an inferno grenade, tossing it near a large group of full bottles. The explosion scattered flames all along the club, fire catching a hold of everything. She tossed the gun away again, putting her hoodie back up and exited the club as it burned down.

The flames consumed the blue neon that originally consumed the club. Ashley was angry, yet she was sad, but she knew that her sister was gone; however, those responsible would pay, one way or another.

* * *

A/N: I hope that this story isn't getting too dark. Don't be afraid to tell me if you think it too dark, or if you think something would be cool or if something could be improved upon. I've also decided that this book is part one of a thre part series I will be writing. This book has about 4-5 chapters still, and then we can get on to different stories regarding the political, economic, and militaristic state of the post-war galaxy

Thanks everybody for the reads, the favorites, and the follows.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: I looked at everything. My plot outlines, my idea script, and my feedback from everybody.

1. The last chapter was really dark, but there is a "Method to my madness" as Shakespeare once coined. And Shakespeare was a smart dude, he was the president of Rome! However, everything will play out in future plot lines (So get your plot twist dance ready... if any other ME fans get that reference.)

2. This chapter is going to be lighter and more comforting. Doesn't mean Shepard won't have to deal with some inner demons, but it ends on a high note I feel. Also, it is a bit on the sexually mature level, so kinda be ready for it (nothing to extreme I hope... it's all meant to be classy and artful, like ME1's romance scenes)

3. Remember to keep Reviewing, and favoriting, and following the story. I hope to continue this story, but it might slow down a bit again (luckily we have only a few chapters left in book one of my three part series).

Thanks everybody and enjoy!

* * *

Shepard once again appeared in the room of blue. He had been there before, in what felt like an eternity. Its gentle glow covered everything in view, the horizon seemingly endless. He felt cool all over, the air comforting him in a blanket of air. However, he was still scarred from everything he was forced to go through.

He had witnessed the death of his parents, the death of his squad, and the death of his best friend. These were memories that he tried to forget, repressing them to the back of his mind. However, they defined him and would always be with him. These memories were extremely prominent within him; happy memories still scarce for the longest time.

The Normandy and its crew helped him forget, giving him friendship and a family to love. The Reapers were the oil stain on that happy picture; an inevitable death looming just over the horizon. It had all started with Saren and Sovereign. Then; he was blown up, suffocated, and burned alive from The Collectors surprise attack. He gathered a crew of specialists and went on a suicide mission to their base. Finally; The Reapers ravaged everything to top of the amazing two years of death and destruction he lived.

The child appeared in front of him again, walking quickly towards him again. He couldn't understand why he could not stop seeing this child. He barely knew the child, but his death burned his dreams and guilt. Enough so, that The Catalyst felt it necessary to appear to him as the child, and so did his mind apparently. It was always the same; that beige hoodie, jeans, and an innocent look on his face.

The child looked at him again, then said, "We are starting to reach a familiar point in your life."

"Does that mean I get to go home?" asked Shepard.

"No," said the child, "It simply means that we are facing the more recent and major pieces of guilt in your life."

Shepard knew what he was talking about; he didn't like it, but he knew it was going to happen.

"So," said Shepard, "I guess we better start at the beginning of this crazy journey."

"If you wish," said the child, "You were eventually recruited for The Normandy; an Alliance prototype stealth ship that had been built by The Turians and Humans."

"Yes," said Shepard, "Anderson was Captain of it; I was his XO." "It was there that I originally met Kaidan, Jenkins, and Doctor Chakwas."

"Yes, but you really didn't have time to talk," said the child.

"No, we were immediately joined by That Spectre Nihlus," said Shepard, "Heading out on a 'basic run' of the ship... but really we were going to Eden Prime."

"Eden Prime was the beginning of your journey," said the child. The room seemingly transformed quickly into Eden Prime. The sky was red from the battle, dead bodies of Geth and Humans scattered all around. The rocks shaped the landscape, covered in shrubs and trees. A tower in the distance was still standing, several small buildings were near it. Shepard felt as if he was back there, the stench and crispness of the air filled his nostrils again.

"This is where you first faced The Geth, killing Jenkins instantly upon arrival," said the child."You are bothered by his."

"Yes, I never like people dying under my command," said Shepard, "Jenkins barely got a chance to fight." He remember Jenkins leaping forward, the shot by a series of turrets. "God damn it Leroy... " he said, referring to his middle name, something the crew did to annoy him.

"Then you met someone," said the child, "a woman, fighting alone against growing odds." The room shifted to the location he met her, Shepard and Kaidan approaching the woman after the battle.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, are you the one in charge her sir?" Ashley said. Shepard looked at the woman he loved as he first met her. Her armor was scorched with the ash of debris and the scars of battle. Her face was covered in beads of sweat. Despite all of that, when he first met her, he did think she was pretty.

"Are you hurt Williams?" the past Shepard said to her, his tone all business.

"A few scrapes and burns, nothing major," quickly respond Ashley. Shepard had stopped listening, remembering everything that had happened on Eden Prime. He had joined up with Ashley, taking them to the beacon dig site.

"This is where you met Ashley, the woman you love," said the child, "She took you to The Beacon, finding Nihlus and learning of Saren's involvement in everything."

"Yes, it was there that I accidently activated the beacon," said Shepard

"Actually, Ashley triggered it, you jumped in and saved her," said the child, "She could have died without your intervention." Shepard knew it to be true; doctors, including Liara, telling him of his strong will and survival skills against the odds.

"From there, you traveled to The Citadel, meeting Garrus and Tali and Wrex along the way," said the child, "You gained Spectre status and The Normandy; then headed out on a chase across the galaxy."

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," said Shepard. "I knew what I had to do and where to go." "I first headed out to That Prothean dig site Liara was at."

"Doctor Liara T'soni," said the child, "She was the only person able to read your visions, totally understanding everything you went through." "You really liked her, and she really liked you; so much, she and Williams approached you and made you choose one of them." Shepard looked away, still embarrassed as when they approached him.

"Liara... was a good friend," said Shepard, "She was always there for me, but I just didn't feel as...connected to her as I felt with Ashley," said Shepard, "Liara understood, and so did Ashley, we really don't have an issue with each other." Shepard tried to change the subject, "From there, I headed out to Feros."

"The human colony built atop The Prothean ruin," the child said." "You helped to get the colony back up and running, saving all of the brain washed colonists."

"They never needed to die," said Shepard, "They faced enough in their life already." "Life as a colonist is hard enough without an ancient threat looming underneath them."

"So, then you headed to Noveria, saving The Rachni from certain destruction," said the child.

"I wouldn't doom that species to destruction... nobody deserves that fate," said Shepard, "The queen proved to be a valuable ally in the fight against The Reapers."

"Yes... and then you reached Virmire..." said the child, "It was there you made one of the hardest choices of your life."

"I saved Wrex, because he was my friend," said Shepard.

"No, that's not what I was referring to, and you know it," said the child, "On one hand, you had Ashley, who stayed with you and stayed behind to help set up the bomb. "On the other hand, Kaidan, he volunteered to lead The Salarians against Saren's base." "You were forced to make a choice... and you choose Ashley... why?"

"Ashley was with the bomb, the bomb was necessary to achieve victory," said Shepard.

"You're trying to justify the choice with a fictional fact," said the child. "Why did you choose Ashley?"

"Because," Shepard's mind rapidly ran, trying to find something to say to the child. He thought of a million reasons, all of them just as stupid and pointless as the one he had just said before. "I save Ashley... because I...cared for her." "I cared for her over Kaidan, and he paid for my emotional involvement." And then, just like that, Shepard felt as if all the guilt he stuffed inside him was lifted.

"Yes... you admit it," said the child. "Are you upset?"

"Yes, Kaidan was a friend, and a great soldier," said Shepard, "If I were to have chosen him, Ashley would've died just as easily." "It doesn't make it any better, but I wish I could've either saved both of them or told Kaidan why I did what I did.

"So, you lost a friend and then reported back to The Council," said the child, "The locked you down, forcing you to escape to Ilos, the location of The Conduit."

"Yes, Anderson broke into Udina's office," said Shepard, "He freed us and we took off for Ilos." "I isolated myself in my cabin, somewhat guilty for my actions against The Alliance."

"Yes, but you didn't spend it alone," said the child.

"Ashley came into my room, comforting me over my choice," Shepard said, "She quoted Whitman and Tennyson; toying with me along the way." Shepard smiled as he remembered that night. Her hair glowed against the background of the night. He had never felt so free before, the universe seemingly stopping around that moment. Shepard felt as light as air and as young as ever.

"I was falling in love," said Shepard, "and she loved me too."

"While the moment was great, it didn't last," said the child, "You and the crew headed through Ilos, meeting Vigil along the way." "He told you of The Reapers, and what they planned to do."

"Yes," said Shepard, "It was there that I finally understood the magnitude of the threat I faced."

"But you defied the odds," said the child, "and killed Sovereign, the vanguard of your destruction."

"I also saved Saren from his indoctrination," said Shepard, "I've seen too much of that particular disease." Shepard thought for a moment, a silence covered the room. "Am I indoctrinated?"

"No," said the child, "Why would you think that?"

"Sometimes I think that this isn't real," said Shepard, "That all of this death and destruction isn't real." "I think I'll wake back up on The Normandy, after that beacon knocked me out and everything will be just fine." "That The Reapers aren't real and I have a family still."

"Rejection of reality is often a common step on the road to acceptance," said the child, "It's all real, while life may not always be the idealistic utopia everyone desires; you have to make the best of it, despite its flaws."

"I suppose," said Shepard. "I remember right after the battle of The Citadel, we had a couple of weeks off..."

* * *

Shepard awoke to the sound of a electronic alarm, the beeping tearing him from one of the best nights of sleep he ever had. He had just saved the known galaxy, stopping an ancient threat known as The Reapers from killing everyone. While the threat was still present, he knew they had a fighting chance now.

He was in a hotel room, secretly put in their finest suite to avoid the press via The Alliance. The room had a modern-futuristic style to it; several small plants throughout it. Shepard was sleeping in a large, king sized bed with a couple of pillows. A nightstand with the alarm on it. The lights blanket the room in a soft calm light. Shepard got out of the bed and headed for the shower.

The bathroom had a shower, as well as a jet tub available for use. A series of shampoos, lotions, and conditioners were set up on the counter. Shepard grabbed a couple along with a towel, then headed for the shower. He set the supplies down, removing his boxers before opening the shower door. He turned the water on, then stepped in after the water heated up.

Shepard couldn't remember the last time he had a good shower. The Normandy had a couple of group showers, but the water quality and heat on a stealth ship was generally poor, like most military equipment. Shepard lathered the soap all over his body, wiping off the layer of filth he still felt all over his body. Shepard rinsed himself, cleaning every crevice of his body.

Shepard stepped out of the shower, wiping himself off with a towel and then going to the mirror. He brushed his teeth, applied deodorant, and shaved. He stepped out to the hotel room, opening the dresser drawer. He pulled out a pair of boxers and put them on along with some dress socks. Today was going to consist of mostly meetings, mainly with The Council and Alliance officials on The Reaper Threat. He hoped to prepare them for war, perhaps send scouts out to dark space for them.

Shepard went to the closet, picking out his dress uniform from the hanger. He started to put it on as he headed towards his computer. He turned it on, opening his alliance email for anything new. He saw one new email, and it was from Ashley.

Hey Skipper, looking forward to the date you planned for tonight. You told me to bring something nice to wear, so I hope I won't disappoint.

From, Ashley

P.S. I'm not wearing a tinfoil skirt or thigh high boot; even if you are buying me dinner.

Shepard laughed; he couldn't wait for tonight. He had told her a couple days ago he managed to score a couple of seats at a nice restaurant on The Citadel; another benefit to unlimited and unquestionable funds from The Office of Special Reconnaissance and Tactics. Shepard closed his laptop, then headed towards the exit.

* * *

Shepard was leaving The Council Chambers, angry and somewhat disappointed. Despite giving humanity a seat on The Council, they still couldn't fit Shepard, the man who saved their life, and the entire freaking galaxy. He was just passing by the fountain, politicians discussing repairs to The Citadel. Shepard went towards the elevator, pressing the button to go down to The Presidium.

The elevator slowly moved down, Shepard impatiently tapping his foot. The peaceful elevator music softly played in the background. He had spent most of his day in meetings, listening to the same line of bullshit over and over again. Shepard watched as the doors opened again, revealing a damaged, but still beautiful garden.

While still damaged, the damage was quickly repaired to help get the government up and running again. crews of various Council species worked day and night to fix everything. While it would take years to fix everything, but life would return to normal soon enough.

Shepard walked towards one of the private cars loaned to him by The Alliance. The shuttle was a cool red, sleek and clean; unlike those public shuttles he was forced to use before. He got inside, started it up, and merged into the traffic lane above the lake.

Shepard looked at the white walls of The Presidium, the faded along with the "sunset"; the artificial sky and artificial lake all clean and sparkled off of the artificial light. Everything was all fake up here, the people were fake, the places were fake, and the culture was fake. Shepard drove off into one of the lanes towards his hotel, near the opposite end of The Presidium. He eventually came upon it, the white structure with black lines outlining the building. The executive suite had a parking pad right next to it, allowing for easy access for the VIPs.

Shepard parked the car and headed into his room. The glass doors leading to the pad automatically opened up to the kitchen/living room area. Shepard headed down the stairs, the bathroom, bedroom and second living room on the first floor of the two story space. He tossed of his Alliance dress clothes, heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

He then went to his closet, putting on an actual suit for dinner. There was a knock at the door, Shepard walked towards it and answered it. It was the flowers he ordered yesterday, specifically a bouquet of Red and White Roses. He exited the room, walking towards the elevator. He entered it and pressed the button for the lobby. He told Ashley to meet him there at 7:00 and they would go to dinner together.

The wait for the elevator was taking forever, the suspense of seeing Ashley again after a week was killing him. The doors opened to an exquisite lobby, the red carpeted floor along with the yellow and dim lights filled the lobby. A main pearl and marble desk stood next to the elevators. The ceiling mirrored the paintings of old Earth churches, renaissance style artwork was a common theme and was adored by aliens. Soft piano music graced the confines of the room. Shepard exited the elevator and his gazed was immediately caught by a beautiful sight.

There stood Ashley Madeline Williams, standing near the entrance and looking for Shepard. She was wearing a black cocktail dress, the fabric draping her body and a slit allowing for movement near the legs. A silver necklace was on her neck, and touched the top of the small amount of cleavage shown by the dress. She was wearing high heels, also black. Her hair was down, something Shepard had never seen before, at least not in public. Her sight caught his, and she smiled as he approached her.

"Hey... I, uh, I got you these flowers," nervously said Shepard. He felt like a teenager again, not wanting to mess up or seem silly to her.

"Thanks Shepard," said Ashley, "They're beautiful." "So... this is where The Alliance coops up the hero of The Universe?"

"Yeah...you like?" asked Shepard.

"A little too uptight for my taste, but they do have some great style," said Ashley.

"I hope that the restaurant is too much for you," said Shepard, "We can do whatever you want tonight."

"Relax, you're doing fine Shepard," said Ashley, "Your over thinking this too much." The two began walking out the door. Shepard had his car brought down by a chauffeur, something he only used this time. Shepard held Ashley's hand as he lead her to the car. Shepard went to the driver's seat and took off for the restaurant.

Ashley looked at Shepard, "Chauffeurs? Really?"

"What?" said Shepard.

Ashley responded, "Nothing, I just don't want you thinking I need to be wooed with gifts and money.. and.."

"I know," interjected Shepard, "I just...really..." Shepard struggled to come up with the right words. "like you," he finally said.

"Well...perhaps I...like... you too," said Ashley, "You know how much trouble we can get in for this."

"I think The Alliance wouldn't mind," said Shepard, "I did save the galaxy."

"So that will excuse our behavior?" sarcastically said Ashley.

"Well... it's not like we're having a hot, sweaty, sex marathon on the ship or anything," said Shepard.

"Would you like that?" tempted Ashley. Shepard coughed a little as Ashley said that.

"Uh... no answer," said Shepard.

"Smart man," said Ashley.

"Here we are," said Shepard, "The Wind: one of The Citadel's finest dining experiences."

"I'm not gonna get swarmed by butlers and violinists with some sort of crazy schemed marriage proposal by you, am I?" asked Ashley.

"I don't know, would you like that?" Shepard said back to her a smile forming on his lips.

"Maybe..." said Ashley, giggling as she got out of the car. Ashley shot a smile back at Shepard, the two flirting with each other like mad. Shepard walked Ashley into the restaurant, the two holding hands together.

"I hope you don't mind that I left those flowers in the car?" said Ashley.

"No... also, I gotta tell you," said Shepard, "I can't really say that a Mister Shepard and Miss Williams are gonna be eating here," Shepard looked at Ashley.

"Well, I suppose the name 'Shepard' does bring the masses in," said Ashley, "So we have a fake alibi or something?" Shepard and Ashley reached the front counter, a man in a suit looked at them asking if he could help them.

"Yes, we're Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, we have a reservation for two," said Shepard. The man nodded and took the two through the restaurant. The two had a table right next to the a window overlooking the lights of The Wards. They were sat down and given menus.

The restaurant was very fancy, having a dining room of a magnificent size; however, only about twenty or so patrons filled the hall. The walls had copies of paintings on them, adding a culture to the calming wall paper behind them. Several chandeliers hung from the ceiling, reflecting light all around the room. Peaceful, classical music was played all softly throughout the restaurant. The table was covered in a think and white table cloth, several utensils placed by them.

"Fancy place," remarked Ashley, "It must taken a lot of time money to book these tickets." "But then again, I should know my husband." Ashley smiled and looked at Shepard for an explanation.

"Well, they aren't going to be looking for a wife and husband on a date; so I think that we are safe from the public scope."

"I suppose, but you really don't know me well," teased Ashley.

"Is that so," Shepard shot back.

"I would've been fine eating a burger in the car, then playing mini-golf or something," said Ashley.

"Mini-golf?" Shepard questioned, "Didn't know you were into it."

"Well it is a great first date type atmosphere," softly spoke Ashley, "Plus, you'd get all your foreplay in early." Shepard raised an eyebrow at the comment, knowing he'd have to take her next time. A man came over carrying a fine bottle of wine.

"California, Earth 2132," said the man, "One of our finest choices. He poured the two a glass, then left the bottle in a bucket of ice for the two to enjoy.

"Expensive taste," said Ashley, "You really went all out on me."

"You deserve it," said Shepard.

"You're forgetting how easily impressed I am by all this," said Ashley as she gulped down her glass of wine. "Tastes good, but I prefer something with more of a...kick."

"Such as?" asked Shepard

"I don't know, Vodka, Whiskey, maybe a nice Tequila," said Ashley, "Those can get me drunker than anything." Ashley looked at Shepard, who was resting his elbow on the table, holding his head in his chin. He simply just gazed at her, and she gazed back.

"You know..." said Shepard, "This is the first moment of peace we've had in a long, long time."

"Yeah," said Ashley, "It's a good time to simply rest and talk." "Despite everything, I still feel as if I barely know you."

"I know; I don't even know the basic stuff; like you're favorite color!" Shepard exclaimed.

"Blue," responded Ashley.

"Well mine is green," said Shepard. The two looked at each other, smiles on both of their faces.

"Favorite type of music," said Ashley.

"I like pretty much anything, whatever fits the mood," said Shepard.

"I guess I'd be kinda a rock person, not much else you us military grunts listen to," said Ashley.

Shepard shot back sarcastically, "You mean Mozart and Beethoven are frowned upon when blasted in a tank?" The two laughed, remembering all the good times in the Mako.

Ashley spoke up, "Favorite Food?"

"I like fish," said Shepard.

"Personally, I love pancakes," said Ashley, "I don't know why, but I just could eat those everyday!"

The salads eventually arrived at their table, the two ordered their and talked while eating their food.

"Favorite movie?"

"Veenna," jokingly said Shepard. Ashley shot a glance at him, somewhat angry by the response. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding... I like that one about The Salarian just living his life."

"Oh, that 'comedy' called 'Stranger life' or whatever... it's okay," said Ashley, "Personally, I love the movie about those humans robbing a Turian bank."

"Yeah, that actually is pretty good," said Shepard, "How about... favorite poet?"

"Well now.. that's a tough one, but I like Tennyson," said Ashley. "He was one of my dad's favorites and kinda became mine."

"I like alot, but I feel Shakespeare's sonnets are beautiful," said Shepard, "Almost as beautiful as you."

Ashley choked in her laugh, nearly spitting out her bite of salad, "My god you are so cheesy," laughed Ashley, "It's like you know how to make me blush."

"Well... you do blush in all the right places," said Shepard, "It does make you look cute." Ashley was really blushing now. "You're doing right now!"

"Shut up, just because I let my guard down for you; doesn't give you the right to make fun of me," said Ashley.

"But is just so fun," said Shepard, "Besides, it's not like I'm trying to make you feel bad." The food eventually arrived. The two remarked on how small the portion sizes were, but still ate the food anyways. They were still kinda hungry, but didn't want to pig out all night. Ashley and Shepard paid the bill, then got up and left the restaurant.

"Shepard, we did drink two bottles of wine," said Ashley, "Can you call a cab?" Shepard was trying not to stumble as he walked by Ashley.

"Yeah, we can, just let me get use to this state of alcohol in my bloodstream," said Shepard. "So where too?"

"I don't know?" said Ashley, "We could go sight seeing...or clubbing... or you could take me back to your hotel room." The last option got Shepard to perch up, somewhat sobering out of his tipsy state.

"Let's go," said Shepard as he called a cab down from his Omni-tool. "Driver, take us to the landing pad of the executive suite of The Palace Hotel." The cab took off, driving them straight towards the hotel. Shepard started kissing Ashley's neck in the cab.

"Shepard... don't get too eager now," said Ashley, "You haven't been assured of anything yet." Shepard stopped kissing her, but started to tickle her slightly on her thigh with his hand. "Shepard," giggled Ashley, "Stop it... the driver's gonna notice."

The cab eventually landed near the room, allowing for the couple to depart from the backseat. He then took off and the two leapt into each other's mouths.

"God, you taste so good," said Shepard in between kisses, "It tastes like heaven." The two still kissed as they headed into Shepard's hotel room. They ran down the stairs still, kissing each other on the way down. They eventually ended up in The Bedroom, Shepard kissing Ashley as hard as he could.

"Okay," said Ashley, "Let's do this." Ashley and Shepard began disrobing each other. Ashley's black cocktail dress fell to the floor, leaving her in a pair of white underwear. Shepard tore of his suit coat and unbuckled his pants as Ashley jumped onto his bed. He pulled his pants down, throwing them across the room. Shepard crawled onto Ashley, kissing her as their faces met. The two made out in their underwear, feeling each other's bodies all over with their hands. Shepard eventually reached behind Ashley with one of his hands, grasping the hook of her bra.

"Damn it," muttered Shepard as he took his other hand to try to unhook the bra.

Ashley looked at Shepard, "Do you need some help or..."

"No!" quickly defended Shepard, "I, freaking A come on!, There we go." Shepard took Ashley's bra off throwing it over his head.

"Now there's the two people needed to see most," said Shepard as he started to kiss her breasts.

Ashley laughed, "And here I thought that you liked me for my personality." "Well, then there's someone I'd like to meet too," suggested Ashley as she started to pull down Shepard's boxers, eventually tossing them to the side as well. "Looks like he's just as excited to see me as you are!"

"Well, then why don't you play with him again," said Shepard. The two laughing in between their kisses and moans. Ashley took off the bottoms of her panties, seductively showing Shepard before she tossed them away. The two laid next to each other naked, kissing and feeling each other.

"Wait... tell me you have 'protection,' "said Ashley. Shepard got out of the bed, then walked towards his dresser to grab the box he had bought earlier. He pulled one of the pieces, out the took it out of the package and put it on. Ashley wolf whistled as Shepard was doing all of this.

"Well then, now that's covered...literally," giggled Ashley, "Bring that fine ass back over here."

"What is it with you and my ass Ashley?" asked Shepard as he crawled back into bed with her.

"It's just so," Ashley tried to explain to Shepard, "I really can't explain it, but it's a turn on and that's what matters," Ashley said as Shepard got on top of her and into position.

"Okay, let me just," said Shepard as began to move slightly.

"Oh yeah... that's what I'm talking about," Ashley said as she leaned her head back against the pillow.

"I haven't even started and your already jelly," Shepard said as he began moving back and forth.

"Yeah, well you clearly haven't learned anything from our last time, have you skipper?" Ashley said as Shepard pumped himself over her. Ashley moaned a little to Shepard, causing him to kiss her on the neck.

"Can you go a little bit faster and to your left?" said Ashley," No wait! I meant my left." Ashley let out a bit of a jolt in her body and voice, "Yep! That's exactly where I wanted you to go!" strained Ashley as Shepard got faster and faster.

"Wow, this is tiring," said Shepard, "Next time, you're the one doing all the work."

"I'm helping," panted Ashley, "I'm bouncing you back after you go forward."

"No, I'm pumping while you're laying there," said Shepard, "Not that I'm complaining that you're lying there and taking all this."

"Shut up," said Ashley. She then, it what seemed like an instant, flipped Shepard over and onto his back. Ashley straddled Shepard on top and started moving her body back and forth. "Better?"

"Oh yeah," panted Shepard, "This is...oh my god," gasped Shepard. Ashley leaned forward a kissed Shepard on the mouth, her lower body bouncing up and down. "That's some top grade flexibility Chief."

"Yeah, well, I figure I'd show you why I'm such a handful," said Ashley. Shepard reached up to message her chest, moans secreting from both of them. Shepard flipped Ashley back over, lifting her feet above his face as he stood on his knees.

"Oh yeah, you like that?" Shepard said.

"My god yeah," Ashley said as she looked up at Shepard. Shepard laid down again, his muscular form on top of Ashley's again.

"Shepard, I'm getting close..." Ashley whispered in his ear.

"Me too," moaned Shepard, "Just tell me when to burst."

"Burst" giggled Ashley, "You're not a geyser or volcano or something," Ashley said as she was cut off my her own pleasure. "Yep, this is it," Ashley's mouth opened and her breath got heavier and heavier. The two began to shake as their climax over came each other. Shepard flinched as his body began to empty, and Ashley's clenched her body as he did. The cries eventually stopped, and Shepard rolled over next to Ashley.

"Wow," gasped Ashley, "No lie... best sex ever."

Shepard laughed, "I guess I'm just that awesome." Shepard covered the two in the bed's blankets. "Give me like...ten minutes and I'll be ready to go again."

"Alright, just tell me when," said Ashley as she snuggled next to Shepard.

"Okay, I'm ready to go," said Shepard as she put her head on his shoulder. "Hey Ash, any chance we could..try something?"

"Like what?" said Ashley. Shepard adjusted himself to show what he was thinking. "Nope, that is not happening."

"Well, you can't blame a guy for trying," said Shepard. Shepard jumped as Ashley suddenly did something completely unexpected. "Okay! You made your point! stop! stop!" "That is not pleasant at all!"

"Then why did you think I would think it was pleasant?" asked Ashley. Shepard really didn't want to explain himself after that. "Just shut up and do me."

"With pleasure," mockingly saluted Shepard.

* * *

The alarm clock buzzed again, Shepard woke up in his hotel room again. Ashley was still there, her naked form pressed against his. She slightly opened her eyes to Shepard, who was just turning off the alarm clock.

"Morning," said Ashley.

"Morning," Shepard said as she looked at him.

"Last night was amazing," said Ashley.

"I always am, plus what else would you say to the savior of the galaxy?"

Ashley changed the tone of her voice, her voice was higher and acted mockingly innocent towards Shepard. "Oh... mister big brave commander, you truly made a woman out of me last night, with all those multiple orgasms I had!" Shepard laughed as he got out of bed.

"So, I'm going to go take a shower," said Shepard, "Care to join me?"

Ashley laughed, "Not today skipper... perhaps some other time," said Ashley as she gathered her clothes and began to put them on. "I'm going to shower at my place, then I got to have lunch with my family." "You?"

"I've got meetings, after meetings, after meetings," Shepard said in an annoyed monotone.

"Well, someone's got to do it," Ashley said as she walked towards Shepard. She kissed him on the lips. "Goodbye Skipper," said Ashley, who then slapped the commander on the butt. "Don't let that ass disappear on me."

"Same to you," said Shepard. Ashley left the room, leaving Shepard alone in his hotel again. Shepard felt overjoyed over how well everything had gone last night. He went into the bathroom, turning the shower on and letting it heat up. Shepard entered the shower, washing his body with soap again. Shepard was feeling so light today, so wonderful.

"Ashley Madeline Williams..." Shepard said in the shower. "A hellcat off and on the battlefield," said Shepard. Shepard was talking to himself, letting everything he thought out in the shower.

"Man Ashley is missing all of this!" Shepard thought, "Oh well, her loss." 'She's so independent, and beautiful, and funny. I love her so..." Shepard immediately stopped thinking, it was the first time he ever thought of that. Shepard stepped out of the shower, wiping himself off with a towel before running for the phone. He immediately called Ashley, the number burned into his mind.

"Hello Skipper, you missing me already," seductively asked Ashley.

"Ashley, I need to tell you something," said Shepard.

"What is it?" asked Ashley.

"I just wanted to let you know that I lu," Shepard was unable to get the words out of his mouth. "I lah-loo," Shepard said as his mouth became somewhat numb.

"What? I think our signal is breaking up or something," said Ashley.

"I just wanted to say I...miss you," Shepard managed to force out of his mouth.

"How cute," said Ashley, "Anyways, I'll see you later. I love you." Ashley gasped as soon as the words came out of here mouth.

"Wait what!" said Shepard.

"That was...was, um," Ashley tried to think of a good excuse. "I coughed a little, I said I miss you too!"

"Oh..." Shepard said, "Well bye." Shepard hung up the phone; believing her excuse, only because he was blinded by his love. "Damn it!" said Shepard as he walked towards his dresser.

* * *

"It was that moment that I first realized I loved Ashley. And I think it was her's too." The present Shepard said as he looked at the child.

"Yes, but fate would play a different role in your relationship," the child said.

"Yeah, yeah it would." Shepard said. A tear forming in his eye as he thought of Ashley's face and smile.


	24. Chapter 24

*2 weeks later*

The rain poured down from the darkened sky. The sleet of think water droplets converged with the erratic waves of the oceans of Kahje, The Hanar home world. The planet was mainly ocean, flora and animals all evolving to the surrounding environment. The Hanar were very graceful in the water, flowing in harmony and in snake like paths, occasionally exiting the water for the ground.

Ashley was looking out from under a canopy. She had been at the planet the past two weeks researching the group that had supposedly "killed" her sister. Despite that scumbag's word, she felt that her sister was still alive, but hidden from sight. She couldn't find any trace of Abby's trade from that prostitution ring she was sold into. The group that bought her was supposedly Blue Suns, something which didn't correspond to the Omega slave trade.

She managed to trace a small piece of possibly evidence, a "receipt" that matched the description of the trade and her sister was one of the items that was described. The leader was a Drell that had supposed ties to The co-Hanar and co-Drell research project for Kepral's Syndrome. Ashley spent the time within the government and Drell assassins guild. She tracked down and questioned potential allies of the man. She had learned various methods of infiltration, interrogation, and kills. While still nowhere near the level of expertise that The Drell were, her hand-to-hand marine combat training coupled with Drell technique made her very deadly.

Ashley had finally found the link to that Drell, but it was buried deep within the Hanar government. Luckily, she requested it via her Spectre status. So, there she was, standing in the rain, waiting for a government contact to give her the intel. It was most likely nothing more than a dead end, but it would give her an answer to her sisters fate, even if death.

Ashley looked to her right as a Hanar jumped out of the water, landing softly on the metallic platform. The jellyfish-like person began to slowly walk towards Ashley, each tentacle moving a little bit forward with each step.

"Are you the one referred to as Ashley Williams?" asked the Hanar. His voice was elegant, and grammar was extremely formal. The Hanar had no facial features, just a blob of fluorescent pink that slightly glowed with each word.

"Yes, are you my government contact for The Hanar Government?" asked Ashley.

"Yes, this one would prefer to remain anonymous for reasons of safety," said The Hanar, "This one's government would like to keep this transaction off the records."

Ashley nodded, "That's alright; now what did you discover about that Drell?"

The Hanar held up one of its tentacles, a small device was at the tip. Ashley took it from The Hanar and applied it to her Omni-tool.

"The Drell you seek is refer to as Serumi," said The Hanar, "That one is a powerful mercenary within The Omega market." "that one specializes in human trafficking along with the drug trade." "However, it's the profit that interests this one's government ."

"How so?" asked Ashley, "I know his profits all go to The Kepral's Syndrome cure project."

"No, that one's money goes into this one's government's elections," said The Hanar, " The money is put into election funds and groups in exchange for support of the project." "This one's government turns a blind eye while money is put into the system."

Ashley looked at the Hanar, "So... it's corruption, and you want me to stop it?"

The Hanar paused for a moment, "This one... is not suppose to be here, they threatened to kill this one if the information was given to stop him." The Hanar quickly turned away and rushed towards the water. He turned backed and looked at Ashley.

"Go to the coordinates on the device given, there That one shall be," said The Hanar, "This one must go, its people will notice its absence." The Hanar dove into the water, quickly diving down out of sight. Ashley began to walk back towards her shuttle, opening the data banks.

"Okay... wait, he's on Earth?" declared Ashley, "He's at a warehouse within the shipping district of...Detroit?" Ashley was confused, how did an alien mercenary group get onto a major city of Earth. Detroit was being rebuilt, back to a prime capital of rebirth of futuristic society during the mid-twenty first century. Ashley jumped into the shuttle, heading out back to Earth.

* * *

Detroit was a city, mainly just of rubble and smog after The Reaper Wars. However, the city became one of the main point of recover for Central North America. Ships left various raw materials and took finished supplies all across the continent. Ashley looked out the shuttle view on the monitor to the orange sky. The smog of industry reeked the air and the sounds of machinery accompanied the smell.

Ashley looked at her data pad again, looking at the address of the warehouse that was given. She was wearing her basic Spectre suit, the primary of red and white contrasting the bleak inside of the shuttle. A pistol at her hip, along with a shotgun on her back. Ashley got up, preparing to leave as the shuttle landed in the industrial field.

The shuttle landed in a dirty alley, garbage and dust lining the short channel made of warehouses. Several men and women walked in and out of the warehouses, their clothes and faces often covered in soot and the filth of work. They paid no attention to the landing shuttle, ships landing and departing countless times in their 12 hour work days.

Ashley stepped out, looking around at her surroundings. The presence of industry filled every part of her. She walked foreword slowly, looking into each of the warehouses. She saw various pillars being formed, ships and statues being built, and even a few artificial plants being quickly manufactured. People shipped them out as soon as they were finished, beginning a new project as soon as they finished it.

She looked at the number on each warehouse, hoping to find the one she was told to go to. The number was 1098 and she was around the 1060's. She continued to walk further down the alley, the work becoming less and less apparent as the warehouses were for storage and parking. Then, she finally came across warehouse number 1098.

It was a large rectangular building, several small windows on the side for exit of fumes and entry of fresher air, if fresh was even a word to describe it. The large entrance at the front was closed and locked, the warehouse down for repairs. She headed around the back, looking for a side door. She eventually came across a small white side door. She entered the door, easily hacking it open.

The door led to a large open area. The ground was a smooth pavement of cement. There were several railways on various levels of the warehouse, each holding a chain-like structure to its sides and floor. The lights were off and darkness covered the room in a blanket. She walked outwards, looking for some sort of sign of organized crime or someone. She found nothing, no sounds, except the outside the building.

Suddenly, a red dot appeared in front of her, quickly moving onto her body. Several others began to appear as she suddenly stopped in place. She recognized these dots as sniper rifle lasers, targeting her form. She looked up, seeing several shadowy forms now on the railings. They all looked to be human, mainly male with a few female. However, she couldn't get a good look at any off them.

"Looking for something Commander?" a voice broke out from the darkness. The voice was nasally, an accent of Eastern European in it. The figure stepped forward, revealing a young man. His hair was a slick black, his face cleanly shaved. He was wearing a pair of Cerberus clothes, similar to The Alliance casual uniform.

"Mikhail," Ashley said as he stepped towards her, "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Looking for you," said Mikhail, "You should realize how powerful we are."

"You're not powerful, Shepard and the rest of The Alliance has completely devastated your organization," smirked Ashley, "I bet this is close to your entire force."

Mikhail laughed, "You underestimate our power and our connections." "We are growing closer to our former power everyday; soon, there will be no limit to how much we control!" "But, I didn't come here to brag."

"You came to kill me," said Ashley.

"No," Mikhail muttered, "I came here to offer you a chance to join me." Mikhail approached Ashley, pulling an object out of his pocket. "Join me," he said as he began showing Holograms from the device. "We can give you a ship twice as powerful and advanced as The Normandy, you will be rich, have a plethora of loyal troops behind your every step." "I can give you mansions to live in, relax in, and no regulations on how to live your life!"

Ashley glared at Mikhail, "Never... I will never serve you terrorists," Ashley moved forward slightly, the guns moved closer to firing position. "I'm Alliance, My father, my grandfather, and great grandmother have loyal stood by the flag of humanity through thick and thin." "So, if you think that I'll compromise my values for materialistic objects and false ideals, you are crazy!"

Mikhail locked eyes with her, pulling another object out of his pocket. "Look at these, these are where our funds come from." He tossed it to Ashley who activated the device with her Omni-tool. "Tell me, where the flag of humanity truly is."

Ashley's eyes began to widen, she recognized these places and finds. They were all Alliance; medical research, military industries, media corporations, and even schools were all funding Cerberus.

"It's hard to comprehend...but they need us as much as we need them," Mikhail muttered.

"This...this can't be true! It's bullshit!" stuttered Ashley, "The President...Price...Smith... Hackett...they're all traitors!?"

"No, they still serve humanity," said Mikhail, "We are the dirty work behind Humanities dominance." "They approached me, wanting to create someone that made them more powerful, and made The Alliance a powerful ally against the aliens." "The Asari, Turians, and Salarians are key rivals in this new galaxy, and Humanities golden age shall prosper again, the flag waving high above the soils of countless worlds."

Ashley was still in shock, the greatest leaders of The Alliance all traitors in belief and action. "I still won't join you," said Ashley, "I will not give up who I am, which is still Alliance, for those who feel that terrorism and war are the answers!" "So kill me, do it," Ashley demanded as she walked up to Mikhail.

Mikhail looked at her, then looked up at the sniper rifles, waving his hand downward. The troops lowered their rifles, still actively watching the two below. He took the pistol off of its holster on his hip, tossing it across the room; he did the same with a SMG on his other hip. He began to stretch his arms, backing away from Ashley.

"I will not kill you," Mikhail said as he took a fighting stance, "But, I will teach you the meaning of pain."

Ashley smirked, knowing how inexperienced the kid must be. The intel stated that he had mixed martial arts training and some practice, but no serious fighting experience. She tossed her weapons aside as well, knowing that this could go terribly wrong. She looked at Mikhail as she took off her right glove.

"You have one chance to step away, because I pack a mean punch," said Ashley.

Mikhail laughed, "I see the Alliance has incorporated our hard research."

"What?" asked Ashley.

"Yeah, your little toy there comes from Claire's work," said Mikhail, "I guess Alliance troops stole it along with several doctors." Ashley ignored him as she took of her other glove, then began unzipping her jacket. She threw it off, revealing a black Alliance tank top tucked into her pants. The two stood in fighting stance, waiting for one to make the next move.

Mikhail moved in , hoping to perform a quick high kick to end the fight quickly, but his move leg caught by Ashley's hands. Ashley twisted it, causing him to spin around and hit the hard cement floor. He got up, his leg slightly sore from the move. He threw a punch at Ashley, who caught it in her robotic hand.

"To slow," said Ashley as she crushed his fist.

"Auuuuughhhhhh!" yelled Mikhail as the bones were slowly crushed in his hand, jerking away as hard as he could. He kneed his leg up into her stomach, making her squeem away, allowing for him to escape her grip. Ashley watched as he cuddled his broken hand into his chest. The pain was making him grunt heavily.

He then quickly ran towards Ashley, punching her several times in the face with his good hand. Ashley blew the hits off, not even leaving a bruise on her face. She then punched him in the face with her organic hand, his head jerking along with the punch. He fell to the ground, blood began dropping out of his nose. Ashley punted his head as it was lifted off the ground, causing him to roll back. She allowed him to get up, knowing his nose was now clearly broken.

"You bitch," declared Mikhail as he cupped his nose, "I will end you." immediately after his words, Ashley sent several punches to the face, hearing loud cries of pain along with each hit. She pulled his left arm out, using her natural strength to break his wrist over her shoulder and dislocating his shoulder. He cried in pain as he hit the ground, tears forming in his eyes. She walked up to him, wanting to end this once and for all.

Then, a sensation filled Ashley in her ankle, she looked down to see a dart sticking out of it. She fell to the ground as her legs became numb. Her body slowly froze up as troops rushed to help Mikhail up.

Mikhail shouted out, "Who was that?"

A troop came forward, "I hit her with small dose of tranquilizers, sir, they should ware off in about fifteen minutes, giving us enough time to escape," he said.

"Give me a gun," said Mikhail. A man walked over and put his gun into Mikhail's unbroken hand, his broken wrist barely holding it up. "You need to learn your places soldiers!" he declared. Mikhail shot the troop directly through the head, his body hitting the floor. he turned towards a paralyzed Ashley.

"I won't kill you, because you now know the truth of The Alliance," he grunted as blood began coming out of his mouth. "So, goodbye." He spit blood on Ashley's pants, staining the white of the pants.

Ashley helplessly watched as the troops began vacating the premise in unmarked shuttles landing nearby the building. She eventually gained the ability to move her face and arms, then a couple of minutes later she could walk again.

"Joker," drearily said Ashley, "I'm ready for evac and need an immediate conference with Hackett." She then gathered her guns and put her coat back on, heading outside to where the shuttle had landed.

* * *

Ashley angrily waited as the scanners to the war room analyzed her identity, a million theories flying through her head. She walked past the meeting table, heading straight into the war room. There were a couple of people in there, working on some data.

"All personnel," she said, "Please leave the war room and communication center for the time being." The crew nodded and saluted, leaving the room empty in a quick manner. Ashley walked into the communication center, a hologram of Hackett appearing in the center.

"Commander Williams, Mr. Monreau stated you had something to tell me," Hackett said to Ashley.

"More of a question, sir," Ashley said to Hackett, her voice getting a little higher and softer. "Admiral, can you tell me what The Fund of Alliance Engineering is?"

Hackett looked confused, "It's a fund for research in better FTL drives and combat vehicles, why do you need me to tell you this?"

Ashley popped her Omni-tool up, several charts and organization logos appearing. "Because," condescendingly said Ashley, "I found out that a lot of these Alliance funded programs have...errors... within their budget, a large portion seemingly invested in things, but no material ever shows up."

"Commander, don't you feel that budgeting is something a Spectre shouldn't be worried about?" Hackett asked.

"No, but I did find one interesting thing though," said Ashley, "That all of these organizations invest in similar funds who do the same to other organizations, who do the same to a smaller group called...I don't know...Cerberus." Ashley was glaring at Hackett, her sarcasm lost as her voice became more and more angry.

"Commander," said Hackett, "I suggest that we end this conversation right now." "You have no idea what you've uncovered."

"I was just told by Mikhail, the head of Cerberus, about your little game of corrupt politics!" yelled Ashley, "How dare you disrespect everything we, including Shepard, fought for!"

"Ashley, we had no choice," Hackett ordered.

"You always have a choice!" said Ashley, "You chose to have a private terrorist organization do your dirty work to make you the good guy, while they kill innocence and rebuild their power!"

"Williams you have it all wrong, we never did this for personal or military gain, we were forced!" Hackett declared as tried to calm Ashley.

"Bullshit, sir, no... not sir," Ashley said, "You don't deserve to have that respect over me, or even be an Admiral, I should reveal all this tomorrow to everyone to show your greed!"

"Ashley, if you reveal it, then you will spark the biggest controversy in Alliance history, people will know you as the whistle blower and will come after you," Hackett said, "You have to trust me, we do not support Cerberus."

"The data says otherwise," said Ashley.

"We were forced to ally at gunpoint to the man," said Hackett, "People can't know he has this power over us."

"We can't hide this Hackett, we'll just make it worse," said Ashley.

"Bury that data, delete all traces of it," said Hackett, "I will take the fall if its ever discovered; however, your duty is not to be that person." "I give you permission to fight Cerberus and destroy them all, but leave the funding cuts to me and the politicians."

"Sir, Mikhail will keep control unless we reveal it now," said Ashley.

"Ashley, we can get rid of this secretly, nobody has to know, just leave it to me...now destroy that data," Hackett ordered. Ashley complied as she deleted all of the data files, then crushed the device with her foot. Nothing but a series of metallic pieces remained.

Hackett suddenly looked to his right, a man apparently talking off screen. "What?" said Hackett, "Are you sure?" "Williams!"

"Yes sir," said Ashley, still somewhat regretting her actions.

"It's Shepard... he's awake," said Hackett.

The news stunned Ashley, not able to produce any sound out of her mouth. She tried to comprehend the information, the man she loved who was gone for over six months was finally, truly alive.

"I have to go," she said as she rushed out of the room.

"JOKER! JOKER! JOKER!" she screamed down the CIC, "Shepard's awake, get us to London ASAP!"

"Really?" joyfully asked Joker as she smiled, "Were about a couple hours out, so we'll be there soon!"

"Hold tight Skipper," Ashley thought, "I'll be there soon."


	25. Chapter 25

Shepard and The Child stood next to each other, still reminiscing about Shepard's past, mainly about Ashley.

"After the events of Saren, The Council sent you on a hunt for more Geth?" asked the child.

"Yes, they believed they housed more information on The Reapers, and gave me permission to find and hunt for them," Shepard said, "We headed out to The Terminus Systems, hoping to find information on them."

"However, you were found by The Collectors, an mysterious race that traded technology for people, usually searching for rare genetic cases," said The Child.

"Yes, they ambushed us, destroying my ship and killing my crew, including myself," said Shepard, "Joker felt so guilty for staying behind and felt responsible for my death," said Shepard. "I forgive him though; he couldn't of know that was going to happen."

"Death... was scary to say the least," said Shepard, "I slowly suffocated around the flames of falling debris." "I burned up upon re-entry, and then most likely was buried in the deep snow." "I felt darkness close in, unable to awake from its cold grip." "I saw nothing...felt nothing... there was no light, no hope, no feeling of heaven."

"You still believe in Heaven," said the child.

"Yes, I still think that there was something out there, but it wasn't my time yet," said Shepard, "I know it's crazy, but it's something that you just have to believe."

"Your death," asked the child, "It affected everyone, including The Reapers, setting the stage for the events of The Collectors and your Suicide Mission."

"They told me my funeral was a national event for The Alliance," said Shepard, "I watched it on the extranet; it was tough to see everyone in that amount of pain." "They felt lost, unable to proceed forward after my death; the council and The Alliance disregarded my warnings, focusing back on internal problems."

"I saw my loyal crew mourning my lose," said Ashley, "I saw Ashley trying to hold back tears, her lost was hard, making her lose her ability to trust anybody or form close relationships for the longest time." "I even saw Wrex cry, something which was rare among his species." "Garrus, Tali, and Liara cried too, mourning my loss with the crew."

"Despite your death, Liara managed to retrieve your body and give it to Cerberus," said the child, "Knowing that they could bring you back to life."

"Yes, Cerberus spent billions of credits and two years rebuilding my entire body," Shepard said as he looked at thousands of charts and diagrams that appeared in front of him. He had seen them all, but they must have been buried deep within his mind, unable to remember them exactly, until now.

"They truly felt that I was humanity's only hope," Shepard said, "For what could have created the galaxy's most advanced army, created me." "I was a symbol of hope against The Reapers, but I never could understand that."

"Why?" said the child.

"I'm just one man," proclaimed Shepard, "I may have done extraordinary thing, but it's the people that have truly beaten The Reapers and Cerberus." "It's the countless volunteers and resources of many species that are what made us strong, not a single man." "However, Cerberus still brought me back, at least to finish the fight."

"I awoke on a medical table, my mind was racing a million miles a minute," Shepard said, "Coupled with the attacking mechs and Miranda yelling orders at me; I thought that I'd had died and gone to hell." "I shot my way through waves of mechs, ran threw fire, and eventually came across Jacob."

"After that, we found Wilson, another Cerberus technician for The Lazarus project, and finally we came across Miranda," Shepard said. "She shot Wilson in cold blood, knowing of his involvement with The Shadow Broker." "Together, the three of us all left that station for another." "They told me, on the way over the new station, about everything that had happened over the past two years."

"Eventually, we got to the station and they told me to go meet with the Illusive Man," Shepard said, "Little did I know, he would send me on a mission against The Collectors, giving me a new ship and crew to fight them in."

"From there," the child interrupted, " You travelled the galaxy, recruiting allies for your dangerous mission."

"Yes," said Shepard, "First, I went to Omega to find Mordin Solus." "He was dealing with a plague on Omega, which turned out to be a Collector experiment on Humans." "However, we found the cure and brought Mordin on board.""Later, I went to Tuchunka to track down a former student of his, finding data that would help to bring about the cure to The Genophage."

"Next, I joined up with some freelance mercenaries to track down Archangel, an elusive vigilante that was hitting mercenary activities on Omega." "Little did I know that Archangel was actually Garrus, who left his job to pursue a higher form of justice." "He took a rocket to the face...something that to this date that still scars his face." "We ended up tracking down his squads betrayer, letting him go to suffer through his guilt."

"Then, we headed to the prison complex known as Purgatory," said Shepard, "We attempted to buy a convict known as Jack, a supposed mad criminal that had a strong temper." "We learned that she was actually a very skinny and tattooed woman while she destroyed the entire facility." "Later, we helped her face the cruel experimentation ground that Cerberus raised her on."

"Next, we headed to the ship graveyard known as Korlus." "It was their we attempted to recruit a Krogan warlord named Orkeer," said Shepard. "He ended up dying at the hands of The Blue Suns mercenaries that he worked with, but he left us his legacy in the form of a young Krogan warrior who called himself Grunt." "We helped him discover who he was and gave him a place among The Urdnot Clan on Tuchunka."

"Then, we finally confronted The Collectors on Horizon," said Shepard, "We managed to save half the colony and learn a lot about our enemy."

The child looked at Shepard, "Horizon is a place of pain for you," he simply stared into Shepard's eyes, his looking piercing Shepard's soul.

"I..uh, met up with Ashley," Shepard said as he rubbed the back of his neck, "The reunion was...less than ideal, but at least she apologized afterwards... it was still pretty painful." A flashback to the confrontation between the two appeared before Shepard.

"I...I loved you," said Ashley. I love you...those words burned into Shepard's mind for the next few months. He thought about them every morning and every night. He would drink several glasses of hard liquor, trying to bury the pain. He tried to forget, but he loved her just as much as he did back on the original Normandy.

"Anyways," Shepard interjected from his thoughts, "We then headed out to Hastrom, to find Tali and her squad." "They were entirely wiped out, except for Tali and another Quarian named Kal'Reegar." "She joined our team, but we had to go back to The Quarian Flotilla to prove her innocence to The Admiralty Board."

"Then, I went and recruited a Justicar named Samara,; she was hunting down a dangerous murderer who eventually we found out to be her daughter." "She ended up killing her daughter with her bare hands... something that I could never do."

"Next, we headed out to find an assassin named Thane Krios, who was a Drell hunting down an Asari that I had met before." "I found him and he joined my crew for free, hoping to bring some light to the universe before his disease killed him." "We also tracked down his son, saving him from a life of crime and reuniting him with Thane."

"So you recruited your entire crew," said the child, "And you headed out to The Collector Base."

"Well, first we had to get some information of The Collectors," said Shepard, "The Illusive Man sent me into an ambush, knowing I'd survive." "He then also sent me to a derelict Reaper that Cerberus had found." "It was there we found a Reaper IFF that helped us traverse The Omega-4 Relay."

"It was where we also found Legion, a Geth platform that wanted my help." "He told me about The Geth's true intentions and about The Heretic Geth." "I helped him rewrite them at their base and Legion became a crucial element in The Geth's future."

"So, after all that we headed out to The Collector Base, not knowing what were going to face or if we were going to come back." "We fought our way into the center of that base, fighting of countless waves of Collectors." "We then came across one of the most horrific combinations I've ever seen... The Human Reaper." "They had taken thousands of colonists and melted them down into a genetic paste." "I managed to destroy it and plant a bomb within The Collector base." "We had stood up to The Illusive Man and even Miranda quit Cerberus."

"So, we took off with their ship, there top people, and my loyal crew to finally stop The Reapers," said Shepard.

"But it didn't turn out that way...did it?" said the child, "You actually used their intel on The Shadow Broker to find him."

"Yes, we joined up with Liara again and found his Ship, a secretive base that resided in a giant thunderstorm." "It turned out that he was a Yahg: a violent species that was as cunning as they were destructive." "We killed him and Liara took up his mantle as The Shadow Broker."

"Yes, her intel would become important in the near future, especially following your actions at The Alpha Relay," said Shepard.

Shepard stopped, knowing exactly what had happened at The Alpha Relay. "Hackett came to me with a mission," said Shepard, "He wanted me to rescue Doctor Amanda Kenson, an old friend who was researching The Alpha Relay." "She discovered a horrible truth, The Reapers were coming... and in less than two days." "They planned to use The Alpha Relay to go across The Galaxy and wipe us out." "I had to stop them..."

"So, you decided to destroy The Mass Relay," said the child.

"Yes... I slammed an asteroid into it, destroying the entire system along with 300,000 innocent Batarians," said Shepard. "I killed the children... and the women... and the men in an wall of fire." "They may never forgive me, even though it was to give us a fighting chance."

"So, you were then arrested by The Alliance, parting ways with most of my crew." "I spent six months within an Alliance 'prison,'" Shepard said, "However, I would eventually have to leave Earth after The arrival of The Reapers." "From there... it's just a blur of constant fighting and recruitment of allies." "I fought against Reaper Husks, I fought against Cerberus Troops fighting for control over The Reapers."

"I met up with my crew, all of them finding their place within the war and their duty," said Shepard.

"What about you...did you find their duty?" asked the child.

"My duty was to end the war, despite the sacrifices and loss," said Shepard. "And I ended up killing Trillions over the lives of a few Trillion."

Suddenly, everything began to change. The room turned back into the area where he made his final choice. The child turned back into The Catalyst and he became wounded and handed a pistol. The three choices appeared before him again; control, synthesis, and destruction. He stepped forward a little bit, looking at his options again.

"Control... Is it truly better to reign in hell than serve in heaven?" asked Shepard to the child. "No... I cannot compromise who I am for power, I fought against The Illusive Man and his forces to ensure that The Reapers would die." "Power corrupts... and that was true power."

"Synthesis... Was that the final form of evolution?" asked Shepard again. "Evolution is defined as change over time to accommodate the circumstances of environment and survival." "We didn't need it and was forced, despite The Catalyst's claims." "Even if it was a utopia, it felt wrong and like trickery."

"Destruction... Could we rebuild and survive?" finally asked Shepard. "It would kill EDI, a long time friend... and the newly freed Geth, making Legion's sacrifice completely irrelevant." "I knew they would die... along with myself and The Reapers." "But...somehow... I knew that their death would bring peace, even if for the moment."

Shepard began shooting the tube, even at the distance he was to it. "I had a dream... That we won this war and The Reaper's stood dead on The Earth." "I would walk over and would lay down on a pile of rubble, looking up at the stars." "Ashley would join me and hold my hand... and my friends, Garrus and Wrex and Tali and Liara would join us and we would be at peace."

The tube exploded and a red light exploded forth from The Crucible. Shepard flew back into space, not knowing what would happen or where he would go. He felt the embrace of darkness grip his soul again, his entire life still flashing before his eyes.

* * *

Shepard awoke in nothing but darkness, his form weak and specs of ash and soot softly raining down from nothing and onto nothing. Shepard struggled to get up, his entire body in pain and weak. Shepard walked a tiny bit forward, trying to see where he was going.

Then, as if God himself interjected in Shepard's hell, a small light appeared. He turned to it, not knowing what it was. He slowly walked towards it, its size getting bigger and bigger. He stumbled to get to it, trying to see what it was. However, he was to weak, and could not go on. He fell to the ground as pain embraced his entire body. The light began to fade, along with all hope.

Then, he saw another light appear before him, it approached him and its form became clear. It was an angel, with the face of someone he knew...Ashley. She was dressed in pure white and glowed beautifully before Shepard. She reached down and easily picked him up, helping him walk again. She was silent, seemingly guiding Shepard back to the original light.

Shepard was still weak, but her presence gave him hope and strength again. She carried him along to the very entrance of the light. Then, just as soon as she appeared, she disappeared from Shepard. He stood at the entrance, knowing that he needed to step through alone. He took a single step, his leg disappearing into the other side of the portal. He put the rest of his body, through, then felt the embrace of warmth and light.

He fell to the ground, his eyes seemingly forced shut, then, with all his might, opened them.


	26. Chapter 26

Shepard opened his eyes, adjusting slowly to his surroundings. He was in a bed, most likely in a hospital of some-sort. He couldn't really tell where he was or what had happened. He remembered everything he had gone through, reliving everything that had happened to him, it was a seemingly endless nightmare. He looked around, things slowly began to come into perspective of things.

He was in a hospital room, tubes were buried deep into his arms, legs, and stomach. He saw piles of flowers and candles and gifts all around him, wishing him everything from getting well soon to happy birthday. The window was closed and shades were shut, clearly to keep the room dim and calm. He looked at all the medical devices around him; they regulated his kidneys, his heart, and even his mind. He heard the pumps and beeps of them; filling every moment since he was awake.

He looked down at himself, the sight shocked him. What was once a muscular and fit body was now a pale, skinny, and fragile mess of a man. He felt his face, his trimmed goatee had grown into a long unshaven beard. His neatly trimmed hair was long and dirty. He felt tired, weak, hunger, and thirsty. He tried to cry out to someone and get help; however, it was to no avail. He was so weak, he could barely lift his arms and move his head. His mouth was extremely dry and lips were cracked.

"Hello," he softly spoke, "Anybody!"

There was no response, nobody came to help him. It seemed that nobody seemed to notice that he was awake. Maybe they had given up hope, or maybe they just didn't care. Shepard moved his head back and waited for someone to arrive.

Time passed extremely slowly, it could have been ten minutes or ten hour; it all seemed the same to him. Then, after a long time of just hearing beeps and pumps next to him; he heard a voice from the outside.

"Hold on, there seems to be something off with Shepard's readings again," said a female voice from outside.

"It's more than likely just another malfunction or abnormal brain wave," said another voice, this time male.

"It's still my job to make sure what happened," said the woman, "We don't want anything happening to the savoir of the galaxy!" The woman got to the entrance of the room, turning the light on and approaching Shepard. She looked and gasped, "Oh my god, Shepard!" Shepard turned his head and tried to speak to the woman.

"Hello," he managed to mumble out to her.

"Shepard's awake," she then yelled as loud as she could to the outside. "I'm gonna need those doctors to unhook those machines!" She turned back to Shepard, kneeling somewhat before him. "Shepard? Are you okay?"

"Yes...thirsty," Shepard managed to get out.

"Nurse! We need water, get me a pitcher of it, Stat!" she yelled out into the hall. Several doctors had come in to the room and were examining Shepard's readings and were beginning to unhook Shepard's machines.

One of the doctor's approached the female who had entered the room, "M'am, we've decided to unhook most of Shepard's devices, he seems to be functioning near normal again," he said. "We will keep the IV tube in his wrist, obviously, and run tests every hour to make sure he'll be okay."

"Good," she said, "Shepard, can you lift your arm?"Shepard looked at her and tried to comply. He managed to lift his wrist up slightly, but after a few seconds, it fell back to the bed. "My god, it's as bad as we thought," she said, "Shepard's lack of movement and various surgeries have completely reduced his muscles to nothing."

A nurse came in, the outside of the room filled with doctors and some civilians who were calling their families and local news agencies. She was carrying a pitcher off water and had some in a cup with a top and straw. She approached Shepard, bending the straw into his mouth and allowing him to slowly suck the water down. A small smile appeared on Shepard's face, water quenching his mighty thirst.

"Keep Shepard's meals limited; he may be starving due to the lack of actual food in replacement for the nutrient diffusion into his blood, but we still need to keep his intake managed," the woman said to the nurse. "He'll eat himself to death otherwise."

Another doctor walked into the room. "Doctor Cohen," he said to the woman who first came in, "Admiralty Hackett has requested your audience," he said, "We can take care of Shepard and get him up and running... so to speak." She simply nodded and left the room.

Over the next two hours, doctors fed and nourished Shepard. They helped him move his arms and legs, still needing major help from the doctors. The new strength he found brought back his ability to speak, however, it would still be a couple of months before Shepard would be back to a "normal" state. Shepard had managed to sit up and began to ask Jennifer Cohen, the doctor in charge of his recovery, some questions.

"So how long was I out," asked Shepard.

"About six and a half months," said Cohen. "You've been sleeping for the entire time." "We found you in a pile of rubble on The Citadel." "You're were in horrible shape, we had to take out most of your cybernetic implants and grow you new body parts."

"My god," said Shepard, "That sounds terrible." "Last thing I remember was that I.." Shepard tried to talk about The Catalyst, The Crucible, and everything that had happened within the last few moments. However, he knew that he couldn't reveal it. It was something that would destroy him and kill the hope of the galaxy. So, he decided, right there and then, that Shepard would never mention that deep and terrible secret to anyone; for the safety of the galaxy it's naive history of the universe.

"Shepard are you okay?" said Cohen.

"Yeah, just some bad memories about all of this," said Shepard, "I fired The Crucible, not knowing what would happen, then felt nothing but blackness." "So I guess we won."

"Yes, but the cost was great," said Cohen, "The Reapers and Husks all fell, but so did The Geth."

Shepard was shocked, but not surprised that there was truth to The Catalyst's words. "So, it killed all synthetic life?"

"Yes, but we assumed that anything that ran on Reaper based code, like the newly upgraded Geth, was destroyed," Cohen said, "However, we managed to pick up the pieces afterwards." "We been rebuilding all the worlds lost, The Relays have mostly been rebuilt, and The Citadel is still being rebuilt above Earth."

"At least there's peace," said Shepard.

"Well... Cerberus is still a problem," said Cohen, "The remaining forces attacked London a few months ago, but they were mostly wiped out." "We still get reports of a squad or two attacking us, but otherwise, peace is viable."

"What's my crew been up to?" asked Shepard.

"The command of The Normandy was assumed by Staff Commander Ashley Williams," said Cohen.

"Staff Commander?" asked Shepard.

"Yes... that remind me, you were promoted to Captain after we found you," Cohen said. "Sorry if we didn't mention it right away."

"It's no problem," said Shepard, "I guess that my health takes priority over everything else." They both chuckled. "So, she's been commanding The Normandy, what has everyone else been doing?"

"Well... Wrex returned back to Tuchunka, Garrus went back to Palevan, Tali went back to The Flotilla, and Liara went back to Thessia," Cohen said, "They've all been rebuilding their planets." Cohen's Omni-tool popped up with a message. "Looks like you have so visitors," said Cohen. "I'll leave you then." Cohen got up and left the room. Shepard simply laid back and waited for his guests, hoping that it was who he thought it was.

* * *

"Come on! Hurry up," Said Ashley as the residents of the hospital were working on checking them in. Ashley was impatiently waiting in the lobby, along with Garrus, Wrex, Liara, Tali, Joker, and Vega. They had all heard the news about Shepard, which was splattered all over the new along with the crowd outside the hospital that had formed.

"Screw this," Ashley said as she waved her mechanical hand at the receptionist. "I'm a Spectre and don't have to put up with this bureaucratic bull!" Ashley began walking away to the door, she stopped and turned around to the crew. "Come on!"

"Uh... no thanks, I'm just gonna, you know, obey the law," said Joker. "You go ahead anyway, we wouldn't want to get in the way of you and your boyfriend," teased Joker. Ashley turned slightly read as some people began to look at her after the comment. She walked away towards Shepard room.

Joker laughed, "I love doing that."

"What? Teasing a woman for being in love," said Tali in a mom-like voice.

"...Yeah," Joker simply responded.

"You also know that her Spectre status exempts all of us from checking in...right?" Garrus interjected.

"Yeah, but they need their privacy," said Joker, "See! I'm a caring individual!"

"Why is this the first I'm hearing about their relationship?" Vega interjected.

"Vega..." Joker said as he went over and put his hand on his shoulder, "Your the new guy... plus its been really funny watching you try to hit on Ashley."

"I was not hitting on her!" Vega exclaimed.

"Oh... so the whole 'can you spot me' routine was you just being a juice head," Joker said, "Oh! And who can forget the numerous alcoholic gifts you've extended to her!"

"I'm just being a good friend," said Vega. The crew was smiling and laughing quietly to themselves. "You people can all go screw yourself!"

"Yeah," Joker said as he tried to get the attention of one of the doctors. "Excuse me...I suffer from Brittle Bone disease and will require a wheelchair..."

"Joker, No!" Liara said as she shooed away the doctor.

* * *

Ashley stood outside Shepard's door, contemplating on whether or not to go in. She had been awaiting this moment since she first laid eyes on Shepard's body in the hospital. However, she was nervous about what she would find. Would she find an amnesia-ridden Shepard, or perfectly fine Shepard? She need to go in, but her entire body shook with the nerves of what she would find.

She took one step slowly, breathing a deep breath before the next one. Eventually, she turned left and looked into the room. Shepard laid on the bed and his head was turned, looking out the window and the landscape of a still ruined London. Ashley looked at Shepard, then got the courage to speak up.

"Shepard," she said.

Shepard turned his head to see a sight he hadn't seen in what felt like an eternity. There stood Ashley Madeline Williams, dressed in her Spectre uniform, still a beautiful as the day he met her. However, he was immediately drawn to her right arm.

"Ashley! Your arm!" he said.

Ashley looked down at her arm, "Oh, yeah, I...uh, it's a long story," she awkwardly said.

"I got time," he said. He motioned to her to sit down next to him. She complied and sat at the edge of the bed.

"I've...done some terrible things these past few months," she said, "Stuff I'm still burdened with and ashamed of."

"Ashley, I don't care," said Shepard, "You can share whatever you want with me... I love you," he said as a tear began to roll down Ashley's eye.

"Well...The Normandy crashed on an unknown planet for a couple of days after you activated The Crucible." "We thought you were gone again, The Citadel was pretty damaged." "I couldn't stand a world without you, so I tried to...leave this world."

"Do you mean that you tried to...kill yourself?" Shepard asked to the evasive Ash. She simply nodded at Shepard, still ashamed of her actions. "Ashley...why?"

"I know it was bad," said Ashley, "I had lost everything and reached my lowest point, even lower than when you first died!" Several more tears began falling from Ashley's face. "I was weak... and was scared."

Shepard reached out and grabbed Ashley's robotic hand, the dark, cold metal making Shepard jerk up a little. "Ashley, I love you... I love you so much," Shepard said, "I know you, I know your stronger than that, but you survived and moved on; becoming an overall better person."

"Thanks... but I still have a lot of improvement to work on," Ashley said. "I've been in so many hospital beds over the past couple months, I think I'm accident prone at this point."

"So, how'd you lose the arm?" Shepard asked.

"I found my family on The Citadel a month or so ago," said Ashley, "They were fine, but my sister, Abby, was taken by slavers."

"Oh my god," said Shepard, "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," said Ashley, "I raided the slaver base for information, learning she was sold to a Turian on Omega." "I lost the arm by a sniper while leaving the base."

"So, what did the Turian on Omega say?" asked Shepard.

"He told me, after so pretty intense interrogation, that she had been pronounced dead," said Ashley. "However, it all seemed to fishy to me." "She had no record of sale from the bar, and the mercenary group that bought her from the bar was non-existent." "I went to find them, and was ambushed by Cerberus and their leader."

"Whose their leader?" asked Shepard.

"He's a young guy, named Mikhail," said Ashley, "He's a genius at tactical, political, and economic gains." "However; his youth, being only nineteen I think, is a factor against his leadership skills."

"He's nineteen and running a... seventeen dollar terrorist organization?" Shepard asked. They both laughed.

"Well, I guess if you put it that way," Ashley said. "Despite the attacks on London, and that unfortunate ship crash on Terra Nova, things are looking really good for the future." "Also, my new hand is about a month away from being fully re-grown."

"Well, the new hand suits you well," said Shepard.

"That so?" Ashley asked in a smooth voice. She scooted closer towards Shepard's face.

"Yeah," Shepard said, "But it's not quite as beautiful as the real flesh and bone." Shepard moved closer towards Ashley's face. Ashley moved closer towards Shepard.

"Well, speak for yourself," Ashley said as their lips locked. Shepard fell back as Ashley moved on top of Shepard in the hospital bed. She perched herself onto of Shepard's body, the two still making out. Shepard had never felt happier, the same with Ashley.

"Whoa! Am I interrupting something!" Joker yelled as he rolled into the room in a wheelchair. Ashley quickly rolled off of Shepard, embarrassment on both of their faces. "You know, hospital beds are horrible places for sex, especially when the door is open!"

"Joker, What happened to you?" asked Shepard as he looked at Joker's wheelchair.

"Nothing's wrong with him Shepard," Ashley said as she got up off the bed. "He just figured out that the hospital can give him a wheelchair for his brittle bone syndrome." She shooed Joker out of the chair and put it outside, meeting up with the rest of the crew as they entered.

"Joker, I told you that taking a random wheel chair from the hallway was not okay!" Liara exclaimed.

"Come on Liara!" Joker said, "There wasn't a name on it or anything!"

"No, but there was an oxygen tank on the back," Ashley said.

Joker looked at Ashley. "Oh! I guess that taking a random wheel chair isn't okay! But you and Shepard humping on the hospital bed is totally fine!"

"Wait what!" Garrus said. Ashley face palmed as Shepard looked at Joker in anger.

"Joker, we were not doing that!" said Shepard.

"What! I totally come into the room and you two are all," Joker began mocking them, thrusting his hips and moaning in a high pitched voice.

"Okay, you're making this up Joker," said Tali.

"Fine," Joker said, "I'll just stand her and be quiet."

"Anyways... Glad to see you guys!" Shepard smiled at them.

"Likewise," said Liara, "These past few months have been challenging for us all."

"Glad you're up and running Loco!" Vega said as he walked up to Shepard.

"I can't move my arms or legs," said Shepard.

"Oh..." said Vega, "I'm sorry."

"Relax, I just gotta rebuild my muscles," said Shepard, "And they plan on starting my physical therapy as soon as possible." The crew was chatting amongst themselves, everyone happy that Shepard was alive and that the war was over.

"Hey guys," Shepard interjected, "I need to ask... did Anderson make it out?" "I didn't ask Doctor Cohen about it." The room grew deathly silent after Shepard's question.

"I'm sorry Shepard," Liara spoke up, "Anderson was the only other person who made it up other than you."

"Yeah, I know," said Shepard, "He told me over the radio that he came up after me."

"What?" Joker said, "Anderson went in before you, it was during when I picked up Ashley and Liara during the run to the beam."

"Huh...that's weird," said Shepard, "But I had a feeling he wouldn't make it, he lost a lot of blood after The Illusive Man killed himself."

"The Illusive Man killed himself... coward's death," Wrex interjected. The crew immediately suppressed the fact Ashley tried to kill herself.

"He was under Reaper control," said Shepard, "He managed to break a hold of their indoctrination for him to realize his mistake."

"Me and Anderson watched as The War raged on over Earth," Shepard said, "From there...I activated The Crucible and blacked out." Shepard looked at Joker, "They told me The Geth died... did EDI?"

Joker simply shook his head and looked away from Shepard.

"Joker...I'm sorry," said Shepard, "I didn't know." The lie Shepard had just told burned his conscience and hurt his heart. He wanted nothing more than to tell the truth, but knew it would completely ruin Joker and the rest of society. He wouldn't go down as the man who performed genocide on the trillions of lives to assure the destruction of The Reapers.

"It's okay," Joker said, "We all miss her dearly, but it had to be done."

"Yeah," Shepard said as he laid back on his pillow. The crew discussed their various adventures, one by one to Shepard. Shepard listen, he laughed and talked with them, feeling as if he was finally part of a family and in peace. Eventually, the entire crew had left, except for Ashley.

"Ashley, it's been ten hours," Shepard said, "Go back to The Normandy, I'll be fine."

"I know, I just missed you so much," said Ashley. Ashley moved in and passionately kissed Shepard as he laid down. "I love you."

"I love you too," said Shepard, "I love you more than life." "I love you more than this entire universe." "I love you more than..."

"More than Garrus," suggested Ashley with a giggle.

"Definitely, god I love that little giggle of yours," Shepard said as he kissed Ashley again. "It's very sexy."

"Trust me Skipper; when you get out of here, you'll have an entirely different meaning of sexy," Ashley said again.

"Are we talking romantic sexy or tinfoil mini-skirt and thigh high boots sexy?" asked Shepard.

Ashley rolled her eyes, "You can buy me as many dinners as you want, but I'm not doing that." "But, I think you'd like no-clothes Ashley better than that."

Shepard laughed and kissed Ashley again. "You should go," said Shepard. Ashley got up and began to leave the room. She got to the doorway, stopping and turning around to look at Shepard again.

"Goodnight, I love you," said Ashley.

"I love you too...Skipper," said Shepard. Ashley laughed and left the room, knowing that everything would be okay.

* * *

*1 month later*

Ashley was hard at work on The Normandy, helping to the rebuilding of Europe on Earth. She remained in the area so that she could spend anywhere from two to five hours with Shepard. She was there as he learned to walk again and re-integrate into society. It was going to be a few more weeks till he was out of the hospital. However, it would be a couple more months till he had his muscular form back, but she didn't care. Shepard was alive and well.

"Commander, you have a message at the private terminal," said Traynor to Ashley.

"Thank you Specialist," Ashley said as she brought the message up.

To: Ashley.

From: Unknown

Dear Ms. Williams,

Please meet me today at 0530-London Time- at the northern end of The Tower Bridge in London.

That was all the message said, it was clearly suspicious and Ashley turned back to Traynor.

"Traynor, can you decrypt this for me? Who sent it?" asked Ashley.

Traynor typed a couple of things into her command console. "Sorry, this is extremely encrypted, it would take months to break into."

"It's okay, I'll go...alone," said Ashley. "It's...0300 in that part of the world, I'll get going soon."

* * *

*0528 in London*

Ashley stood at the northern end of The Tower Bridge. It was still relatively dark out, the sun wouldn't be coming up for a little bit. It was somewhat cold and Ashley stood there in her Spectre outfit. She didn't know who would show up or what would happen, but she just waited for someone.

"Hello Ash," said a familiar voice next to her. Ashley looked next to her to see Shepard standing next to her. He was holding a bouquet of roses and was dressed in a suit.

"Shepard, where did you get all of this?" asked Ashley.

"I had a little help arranging all of this," said Shepard as he hand the bouquet to her. He kissed her as she put her hands around his back.

"Were you getting cramped up at the hospital?" asked Ashley.

"Well, you've done so much for me over the past month, I figured that all of this would make us even," said Shepard. Ashley rested her head on Shepard's shoulder as the sun began to just appear over the horizon.

"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Ashley as she watched the light grow over the somewhat damaged ruins of London.

"Yeah...not as beautiful as you though," Shepard whispered to Ashley. She simply giggled as Shepard began to move away from her.

"Shepard, what's wrong?" asked Ashley.

"Nothing...it's just that... I love you," said Shepard.

"I love you too," Ashley said as she kissed Shepard. Shepard stopped kissing her, cupping her face in his hand.

Shepard moved back slightly, gazing into Ashley's eyes. "Ashley Madeline Williams...I love you more than I can describe," Shepard said. Ashley giggled slightly and blushed. He then moved down onto his knee, reaching in his coat pocket. He pulled out a small black box and opened it to her.

Inside, was a beautiful diamond ring. It wasn't overly big, but it glistened into Ashley's eyes as she was stunned by Shepard's actions.

"Ashley... would you marry me?" he asked to her.

Ashley started to cry, tears streaming down her face. "Yes," she managed to get out before Shepard put the ring on her finger. He then got up and embraced her as hard as he could. They both quietly cried tears of joy as they enjoyed their moment.

"I'm gonna be Mrs. Shepard!" exclaimed Ashley as she wiped the tears away, "I'm so happy Shepard...thank you," she said. "Thank you for coming back to me."

"No," said Shepard, "Thank you for loving a guy like me, for following me into hell and back, for always being there in my heart," said Shepard.

"O Captain, My Captain, our fearful trip is done," she said as they moved in to kiss each other.

Just as the two began to kiss, the sun, ever so slightly, peered over the horizon, lighting the brand new day of the new world.

* * *

A/N: This is the end of the first book. It's been an interesting trip as I learned how to write, growing from the simply passages in my earlier chapters. Thank you for following me and my story. I appreciate all the advice and reviews you've submitted over the past few months.

Anyways, don't forget to keep reviewing and making suggestions for me to improve or ideas you have for me. I do have a planned out plot line, one that takes several twists and turns along the way. However, all ideas are taken into consideration.

Thank you once again, and keep checking for book two of my trilogy **Genesis of Exodus**


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